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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: bark · wound · net · board · bear · scale · mate · land

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — a country
  5. scale — in music
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. net — in sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. net — after costs
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. land — to come down
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — ground
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bear — the animal
  22. board — a committee
  23. mate — a partner
  24. net — for catching

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