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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · scale · kid · pitcher · suit · root · bark · band

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. band — a ring
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kid — child
  6. scale — in music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — clothes
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. scale — size or range
  16. band — a music group
  17. suit — to fit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bark — to shout
  20. lean — thin
  21. root — of a word
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lean — to rest against

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