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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. capital — a city
  4. band — a ring
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. object — to protest
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. object — a thing
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. capital — money
  12. bank — for money
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — final
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bank — for money
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. object — an aim
  23. pit — a hole
  24. last — finally

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