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

Word bank: capital · snap · bark · bay · straw · hand · deal · object

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. capital — a city
  3. object — a thing
  4. bark — to shout
  5. object — an aim
  6. capital — money
  7. object — to protest
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. snap — to click
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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