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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: march · cabinet · fine · bat · coach · bark · snap · scale

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. scale — in music
  6. march — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. march — the month
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. scale — size or range
  23. snap — to click
  24. fine — all right

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