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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. bank — for money
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. last — final
  9. root — the cause
  10. capital — a city
  11. root — of a word
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bank — of a river
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. perch — the fish
  23. last — finally
  24. root — of a plant

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