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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 116 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: bank · bark · bound · track · spell · capital · board · stem

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — magic
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. board — a committee
  11. bank — for money
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spell — letters
  16. capital — a city
  17. bound — obliged
  18. track — to keep track
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — for money
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bank — of a river
  24. board — to get on

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