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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: kid · stand · nail · bay · roll · bark · scale · squash

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. kid — to tease
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stand — to bear
  12. squash — to crush
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. scale — in music
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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