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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. club — for golf
  5. capital — money
  6. club — a group
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. capital — a city
  14. club — for dancing
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. key — for a lock
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. perch — the fish
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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