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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: bark · ball · bear · stem · rest · capital · kick · perch

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kick — in football
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. capital — money
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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