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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 116 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: capital · wind · field · calf · ground · cabinet · leaves · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — crushed
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — a city
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. capital — money
  23. field — a subject
  24. wind — moving air

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