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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: toast · scale · bank · bark · roll · rash · net · bore

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. toast — bread
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bore — to drill
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. net — in sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bank — for money
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bank — of a river
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. bank — for money
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rash — hasty
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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