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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: mouse · land · lean · bark · scale · wound · row · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. scale — in music
  4. land — ground
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — an injury
  8. land — a country
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. club — a group
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a line
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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