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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: bark · rule · pitcher · lean · scale · board · can · toast

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. board — a committee
  3. rule — government
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lean — to bend
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. toast — bread
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — in music
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bark — of a tree

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