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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. drill — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. perch — the fish
  8. capital — a city
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. squash — to crush
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. can — a tin
  15. capital — money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — rain
  19. march — music
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. march — the month
  22. can — to be able to
  23. shower — to wash
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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