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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: tube · roll · hand · hide · scale · bark · rule · rash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — in cards
  3. scale — in music
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tube — a container
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rule — a law
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rash — hasty
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. hand — help

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