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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bark — to shout
  19. capital — a city
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stem — to come from
  22. capital — money
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ball — a round shape

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