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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. net — for catching
  4. bound — obliged
  5. net — in sport
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. capital — a city
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. scale — in music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. capital — money
  23. bound — certain
  24. scale — size or range

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