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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bank — for money
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bank — for money
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. capital — a city
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bank — of a river

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