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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: capital · saw · present · racket · wind · spring · bark · ruler

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spring — the season
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. present — there
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — money
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. present — the time now
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wind — moving air
  15. capital — a city
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bark — to shout
  21. spring — of water
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. present — a gift

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