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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · wave · fan · bark · scale · row · staff · snap

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. scale — size or range
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. staff — employees
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. scale — in music
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. row — a line
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bark — to shout
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com