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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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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. last — finally
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. last — to go on
  8. lean — thin
  9. object — a thing
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. capital — money
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. last — final
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lean — to bend
  20. branch — a division
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rock — music
  24. lean — to rest against

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