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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: bowl · saw · bank · bore · bark · land · scale · lie

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bore — to tire
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bank — for money
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bark — to shout
  14. land — a country
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bank — for money
  19. scale — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. land — ground
  24. bowl — a football final

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