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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: lie · bark · hand · cue · nail · scale · coach · wave

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bark — to shout
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. scale — in music
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cue — for pool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cue — a hint
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cue — a signal

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