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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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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: fork · bark · snap · swing · scale · file · bank · fall

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. swing — to play on
  4. snap — to click
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fall — the season
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. file — a document
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. file — a tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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