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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · coach · staff · capital · leaves · foot · bass · clip

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. clip — to cut
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. clip — a video
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. perch — the fish
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. capital — a city
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. foot — a measure
  16. capital — money
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — low music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bass — the fish
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — a big letter

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