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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: scale · game · clip · can · tear · rest · bark · mate

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. game — a match
  3. clip — for paper
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — to cut
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mate — a friend
  14. scale — in music
  15. clip — a video
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. can — a tin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rest — a break

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