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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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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: bark · capital · bowl · root · kid · club · mouse · cell

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cell — in biology
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. root — of a word
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. root — the cause
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. kid — child
  19. club — a group
  20. capital — a city
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. club — for golf

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