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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. capital — a city
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bank — for money
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — the fish

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