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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: coach · cabinet · spring · capital · bark · arm · race · rock

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. race — a contest
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spring — the season
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rock — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. race — the arms race
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. race — humankind
  24. coach — a trainer

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