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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: bass · perch · bank · bowl · bore · wound · fall · capital

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bass — low music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. capital — a city
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fall — the season
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bore — to tire
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wound — an injury

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