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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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Word bank
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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: stand · pound · pitcher · capital · tear · branch · bound · perch

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stand — to bear
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. branch — a division
  12. capital — a city
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — money
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. perch — the fish
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — certain
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. branch — of a tree

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