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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: bore · fall · scale · bark · row · chip · fork · wake

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. fall — the season
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chip — to eat
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — a line
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. row — to paddle

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