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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · spring · stand · pass · bark · capital · bay · rash

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spring — the season
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rash — a series
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. capital — a city
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. spring — of water
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. capital — money
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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