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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · bound · scale · wake · bark · key · file · bowl

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bound — certain
  6. scale — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bound — obliged
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. plane — a tool
  18. file — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wake — a trail
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. file — a document
  24. plane — in geometry

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