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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · ruler · row · perch · capital · bulb

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. capital — money
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bulb — for light
  8. row — to paddle
  9. capital — a city
  10. wind — moving air
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bulb — for light

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