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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 · bark · field · capital · arm · spell · bank · bowl

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. board — a committee
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spell — magic
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. field — farmland
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. field — for sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. board — to get on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bank — for money
  21. capital — a city
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bank — of a river

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