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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bank — for money
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wind — moving air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. capital — a city
  12. chip — for betting
  13. content — happy
  14. perch — the fish
  15. content — the amount
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fall — the season
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wind — moving air
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. capital — money
  24. fall — to drop

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