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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: bulb · bark · cell · bound · capital · leaves · deal · coach

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bulb — for light
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bark — to shout
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — money
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bound — obliged
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bound — certain
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bound — tied together
  21. capital — a city
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. coach — a trainer

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