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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: lean · nail · row · pop · land · rash · scale · bark

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. row — to paddle
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lean — thin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. land — a country
  7. scale — in music
  8. pop — music
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. land — to come down
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. row — a line
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pop — soda
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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