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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — a price
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tube — a container
  8. capital — a city
  9. charge — in control
  10. firm — a company
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tube — the underground
  13. charge — electricity
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. firm — decided
  16. shower — rain
  17. bark — to shout
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. firm — steady
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ground — crushed
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — a position

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