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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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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — a city
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. can — a tin
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. kid — child
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. capital — money
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bound — certain
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. kid — to tease
  24. can — a tin

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