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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
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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 · net · march · key · cap · spring · stick · trunk

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. march — the month
  3. net — after costs
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spring — a coil
  7. march — music
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cap — of ice
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. spring — of water
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. key — the most important part
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cap — a lid
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — the month
  22. key — in music
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — to shout

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