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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 120 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: bass · capital · bark · wound · court · deal · fork · dip

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. court — of a king
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bass — low music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. capital — a city
  13. court — for sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. court — of law
  19. capital — money
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bass — the fish

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