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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
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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: bark · capital · game · stem · fall · leaves · lash · bowl

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. game — a match
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. capital — money
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. capital — a city
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fall — the season
  24. capital — a big letter

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