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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. game — a match
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. can — to be able to
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. branch — a division
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. can — a tin
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — money
  24. branch — of a bank

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