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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.

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: suit · track · bear · capital · bark · bore · court · wind

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — money
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. track — a song
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. track — to keep track
  12. court — of law
  13. wind — moving air
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bore — to drill
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. court — for sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. capital — a city
  21. track — a path
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. court — of a king

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