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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.

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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: capital · mark · bulb · wound · net · bark · tear · bay

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bark — to shout
  5. net — for catching
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — money
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — after costs
  23. mark — a trace
  24. capital — a big letter

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