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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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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: capital · firm · rule · perch · coach · wind · foot · trunk

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rule — government
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rule — a law
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. firm — steady
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. firm — a company
  12. foot — a measure
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. firm — decided
  18. capital — money
  19. perch — the fish
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. capital — a city
  24. wind — to turn a key

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