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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 116 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: capital · bear · bark · deal · coach · stem · lean · lie

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bark — to shout
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lean — thin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lean — to bend
  20. capital — money
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stem — of a plant

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