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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: bark · arm · lash · march · fine · root · scale · fall

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fall — the season
  6. scale — in music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. root — of a word
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fall — to drop
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fine — all right
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. scale — size or range

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