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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stock — goods
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. press — a publisher
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stock — shares
  12. capital — a city
  13. press — to push
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. perch — the fish
  18. press — newspapers
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bulb — for light
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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