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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. capital — a city
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. scale — in music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. board — to get on
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — size or range
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. shower — rain
  24. bark — to shout

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