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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 · safe · toast · bark · bat · leaves · content · bank

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. content — the amount
  3. bank — for money
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. capital — a city
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. content — happy
  13. bark — to shout
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bat — the animal
  17. toast — bread
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. safe — out of danger

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