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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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Word bank
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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bark — to shout
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — a face
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bass — low music
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. capital — a city
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bass — the fish
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. capital — money
  24. mine — belonging to me

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