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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: cabinet · kick · bowl · tear · fork · bark · bank · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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 — in music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bark — to shout
  12. kick — in football
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tear — from crying
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bank — for money
  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