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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: leaves · kid · board · bear · capital · foot · patient · bark

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kid — child
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — a committee
  11. capital — a city
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bark — to shout
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. board — to get on
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. leaves — of a tree

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