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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. root — of a word
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. tear — from crying
  7. root — the cause
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tear — to rip
  16. capital — money
  17. board — a committee
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bear — to put up with

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