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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: firm · kick · fine · wound · bark · file · bulb · capital

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — high quality
  3. firm — decided
  4. capital — a city
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bulb — for light
  7. firm — a company
  8. capital — money
  9. fine — all right
  10. file — a document
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. wound — an injury
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. file — a tool
  21. firm — steady
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wound — an injury
  24. file — a line of people

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