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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. net — for catching
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. capital — a city
  9. net — after costs
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. net — in sport
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bark — to shout
  21. march — music
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pass — a permit
  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