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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — a face
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mug — a cup
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. ground — the earth
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. branch — a division
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ground — crushed
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. capital — money

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