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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · leaves · bark · current · capital · object · club · last

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bark — to shout
  3. object — to protest
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. current — electric
  6. capital — a city
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. club — a group
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. ball — a dance
  14. capital — money
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. current — of water
  21. object — an aim
  22. current — happening now
  23. ball — a great time
  24. leaves — lets stay

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