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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: hand · cabinet · arm · bark · ball · capital · straw · leaves

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. capital — a city
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ball — a dance
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — to shout
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ball — a great time
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — money
  24. straw — a straw man

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