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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 120 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: lean · pass · bowl · mine · court · scale · suit · bark

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lean — to bend
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — for digging
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. suit — in cards
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. scale — in music
  24. mine — an explosive

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