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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: cap · cabinet · bark · toast · board · branch · spell · ball

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spell — letters
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cap — a hat
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cap — a lid
  12. branch — a division
  13. toast — bread
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spell — magic
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spell — a short time
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bark — to shout
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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