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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. club — for golf
  3. firm — a company
  4. capital — a city
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fork — in a road
  7. capital — money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. kid — child
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. firm — decided
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — to shout
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. firm — steady
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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