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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: board · capital · land · saw · spell · mark · bowl · bark

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spell — magic
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spell — a short time
  9. capital — a city
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. land — to come down
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mark — a grade
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — money
  18. land — a country
  19. board — to get on
  20. land — ground
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mark — to pay attention

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