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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: pitcher · bear · bark · scale · fork · cold · dip · drill

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cold — an illness
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cold — not warm
  10. scale — in music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — to shout
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. dip — to dunk

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