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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — to be able to
  5. drill — the tool
  6. present — the time now
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mug — to rob
  9. present — a gift
  10. bank — for money
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bank — for money
  13. drill — a practice
  14. can — a tin
  15. capital — money
  16. drill — army training
  17. shower — rain
  18. mug — a face
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mug — a cup
  21. present — there
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — to wash

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