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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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468
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: leaves · bark · capital · bore · stick · kick · mark · hand

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kick — in football
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — help
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. capital — money

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