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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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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: bay · squash · swing · cap · capital · stand · row · bark

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bark — to shout
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — of ice
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cap — a hat
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stand — to bear
  13. capital — a city
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cap — a lid
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. squash — to crush

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