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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.

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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: bark · toast · plane · cap · bulb · court · board · track

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. court — for sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cap — a hat
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bark — to shout
  15. track — a song
  16. court — of law
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. track — a path
  21. court — of a king
  22. board — a committee
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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