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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: root · safe · capital · board · mouse · shower · bark · swing

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. shower — rain
  8. capital — a city
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. root — of a plant
  11. swing — in golf
  12. board — a committee
  13. bark — to shout
  14. root — the cause
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. board — to get on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. swing — to play on
  22. capital — money
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mouse — for a computer

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