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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
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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: bear · rush · game · scale · court · fall · present · bark

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. present — there
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. court — of a king
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. court — of law
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. game — a match
  17. fall — to drop
  18. present — a gift
  19. fall — the season
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — of a tree

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