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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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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: lean · deal · toast · rock · scale · trunk · bark · race

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lean — thin
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rock — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. toast — bread
  8. lean — to bend
  9. race — humankind
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rock — a stone
  12. race — a contest
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. deal — to handle
  15. scale — size or range
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. scale — in music
  21. race — the arms race
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rock — to move gently

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