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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: pop · saw · wake · cap · ball · capital · bark · season

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — a city
  6. season — of the year
  7. pop — music
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cap — a hat
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ball — a dance
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cap — a lid

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