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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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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: hand · snap · scale · wake · kid · bark · bear · pit

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. scale — in music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hand — help
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. kid — child
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. snap — to click
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pit — a hole

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