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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. capital — money
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kick — in football
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pound — to hit hard

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