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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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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 · kid · band · foot · bowl · pitch · snap · scale

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. kid — child
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kid — to tease
  13. scale — in music
  14. band — a music group
  15. scale — size or range
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. snap — to click
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pitch — a sports field

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