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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.

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: bark · prune · kick · capital · perch · ground · ball · fan

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bark — to shout
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ball — a dance
  8. prune — to trim
  9. capital — money
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kick — in football
  17. capital — a city
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ground — the earth

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