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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: scale · rash · bear · cold · bark · calf · can · bound

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. scale — size or range
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. rash — hasty
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rash — a series
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. scale — in music

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