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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.

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: root · coach · bulb · leaves · perch · capital · bark · racket

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. capital — a city
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bark — to shout
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. root — of a plant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. capital — money
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. root — the cause
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. root — of a word

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