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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 · jam · straw · net · bark · capital · cue · nail

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — after costs
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. net — in sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — money
  11. cue — a signal
  12. net — for catching
  13. cue — a hint
  14. capital — a city
  15. scale — size or range
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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