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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: roll · bark · fan · lean · scale · game · pitch · lash

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — thin
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. roll — a list
  17. game — a match
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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