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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: bark · wave · bat · fork · bank · chair · rock · scale

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bank — for money
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rock — music
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. scale — in music
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chair — a leader
  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