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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: straw · bound · fine · bark · scale · sharp · drill · fall

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. drill — a practice
  5. fall — to drop
  6. drill — army training
  7. bark — to shout
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — clever
  10. scale — in music
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fall — the season
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fine — high quality
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bound — certain
  24. straw — dry grass

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