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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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: band · bark · capital · pop · perch · leaves · vault · bat

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. band — a music group
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bark — to shout
  12. capital — money
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. band — a ring
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. capital — a city
  23. bat — the animal
  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