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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: cabinet · racket · bark · leaves · clip · cap · perch · mark

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cap — of ice
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — to shout
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. clip — to cut
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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