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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — soda
  3. ground — the earth
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. capital — a city
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. current — happening now
  9. bound — tied together
  10. current — of water
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. can — to be able to
  13. current — electric
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pop — music
  17. capital — money
  18. can — a tin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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