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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. season — in sport
  12. content — the amount
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bark — to shout
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. board — to get on
  21. content — happy
  22. capital — money
  23. board — a committee
  24. club — a group

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