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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
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: capital · suit · band · chair · spell · mate · bark · board

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. suit — clothes
  4. capital — a city
  5. spell — magic
  6. mate — a partner
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chair — a leader
  12. suit — in cards
  13. spell — a short time
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. board — to get on
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spell — letters
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mate — a friend

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