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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: rock · lean · row · clip · scale · chip · bark · file

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. file — a tool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. file — a line of people
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. clip — a video
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. file — a document
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rock — 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