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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. spring — of water
  7. board — to get on
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bark — to shout
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. board — a committee
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. craft — a skill
  16. capital — a city
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spring — a coil
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. craft — boats
  24. capital — 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