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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: fine · kick · capital · jam · mine · mouse · trunk · perch

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kick — in football
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. capital — a city
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fine — all right
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. perch — for a bird

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