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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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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: bark · ground · board · trunk · capital · rush · fork · net

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. fork — in a road
  7. net — for catching
  8. capital — money
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. capital — a city
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. net — after costs
  22. board — to get on
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. capital — a big letter

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