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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: cap · bark · spring · capital · cabinet · current · sharp · club

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cap — a lid
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — for dancing
  15. spring — the season
  16. club — for golf
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. current — of water
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spring — of water
  23. club — a group
  24. cap — a hat

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