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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 120 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: bark · present · mate · scale · content · fork · land · lash

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bark — to shout
  11. land — ground
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mate — a partner
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mate — to breed
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. scale — in music
  19. present — there
  20. content — the amount
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. content — happy
  24. fork — to eat with

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