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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 · racket · shower · bulb · mouse · bark · degree · vault

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. shower — rain
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. capital — money
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. capital — a city
  18. bulb — for light
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bark — to shout
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. vault — a safe

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