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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: tear · squash · bay · bark · fork · staff · scale · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. content — the amount
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bark — to shout
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fork — in a road
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — happy
  20. scale — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. tear — to rip
  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