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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 116 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 · pitch · tear · ruler · capital · tube · patient · season

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. season — of the year
  3. capital — a city
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tube — a container
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. season — in sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. capital — money
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tear — to rip

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