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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
Word bank
YesNo
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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 · capital · racket · fine · season · perch · bowl · spring

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — to shout
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fine — high quality
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. perch — the fish
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fine — all right
  22. season — of the year
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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