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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: scale · bark · bound · rush · court · lash · stand · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stand — to bear
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. can — a tin
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. scale — in music
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bark — to shout
  16. court — of law
  17. bound — obliged
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bound — certain
  20. rush — hurry
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. court — of a king
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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