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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: squash · bowl · scale · wind · bark · rule · coach · mine

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rule — government
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. scale — in music
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bark — to shout
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rule — a law
  24. bark — of a tree

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