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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: cap · staff · season · ruler · ground · bark · pop · content

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ground — the earth
  10. content — the amount
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. content — happy
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — crushed
  18. season — in sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. ground — a position
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pop — to visit
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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