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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: bowl · hand · net · charge · saw · scale · mark · bark

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hand — help
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. net — after costs
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mark — a grade
  9. charge — a price
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. net — in sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. net — for catching

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