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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · clip · suit · racket · bark · race · can · band

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. race — a contest
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — in music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. clip — to cut
  9. band — a music group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. can — to be able to
  13. clip — a video
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. suit — in cards
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a ring
  23. bark — to shout
  24. scale — for weighing

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