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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. capital — a city
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mark — a grade
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. spring — of water
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bark — to shout
  14. kid — child
  15. spring — the season
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mark — a trace
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. capital — money
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. leaves — of a tree

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