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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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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: calf · rash · band · cap · bowl · fall · perch · capital

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — hasty
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — the season
  17. cap — of ice
  18. band — a music group
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rash — a series
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cap — a lid
  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