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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 116 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: bark · season · fan · last · scale · bat · staff · ruler

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. staff — a stick
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. scale — in music
  6. season — of the year
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — employees
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. staff — employees
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. season — in sport
  17. last — finally
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. last — to go on
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. last — final
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — the animal

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