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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: kick · band · straw · object · bark · plane · scale · row

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. scale — in music
  3. bark — to shout
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. plane — a tool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. object — an aim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. scale — size or range
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. band — a music group
  15. object — to protest
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. object — a thing
  18. row — a line
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. kick — in football
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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