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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: hide · bay · perch · plane · capital · present · object · hand

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. present — a gift
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. present — there
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. present — the time now
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hand — in cards
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. hand — help
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. object — an aim
  21. perch — the fish
  22. object — a thing
  23. plane — a tool
  24. capital — a city

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