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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: shower · scale · bass · rash · bark · chip · fine · roll

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. shower — rain
  9. fine — all right
  10. scale — in music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chip — for betting
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bass — low music
  16. chip — to eat
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. roll — a list
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — the fish

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