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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · pitcher · bark · cabinet · cap · bear · prune · bowl

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. bowl — to roll

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