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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — for money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. last — final
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bark — to shout
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. bear — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. land — ground
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bank — for money
  24. bear — to put up with

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