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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 116 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 · saw · march · rush · scale · ground · rock · cabinet

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rock — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. march — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — a position
  14. scale — in music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — the month
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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