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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: stand · calf · season · band · bark · court · capital · fine

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. season — in sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fine — high quality
  7. band — a music group
  8. capital — money
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. season — of the year
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. court — of law
  14. band — a ring
  15. court — of a king
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stand — to bear
  20. fine — all right
  21. capital — a city
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. capital — a big letter

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