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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of a king
  4. bound — tied together
  5. present — there
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — a gift
  9. capital — a city
  10. bound — certain
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. present — the time now
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — obliged
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  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