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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: roll · scale · court · lean · bark · ground · swing · bore

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bore — to drill
  3. swing — to play on
  4. ground — a position
  5. bore — to tire
  6. court — of a king
  7. roll — a cake
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — of law
  13. swing — music
  14. lean — thin
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ground — the earth
  19. court — for sport
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. roll — a list
  22. ground — crushed
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lean — to bend

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