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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 120 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
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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: suit · wind · pitcher · perch · land · bore · capital · mouse

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — to come down
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — ground
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. capital — a city
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. suit — to fit
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. suit — in cards

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