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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. pop — soda
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. capital — money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. board — a committee
  16. pop — music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. present — there
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. board — to get on
  21. present — a gift
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. board — a flat piece

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