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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: net · track · drill · scale · sharp · bear · bark · kick

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. drill — army training
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kick — in football
  17. track — a song
  18. scale — size or range
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — a path
  22. net — after costs
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. drill — the tool

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