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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: bear · rash · cap · bound · bark · scale · drill · deal

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rash — hasty
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — obliged
  6. drill — army training
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cap — a lid
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. scale — in music
  11. rash — a series
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bark — to shout
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bound — certain
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bound — tied together

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