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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bark — to shout
  3. capital — a city
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fall — the season
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. foot — a measure
  14. capital — money
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — to drop

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