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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rock — a stone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — money
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. capital — a city
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mine — for digging
  10. board — a committee
  11. branch — a division
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. board — to get on
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. track — a path

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