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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.

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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: snap · net · tear · stand · perch · can · capital · rest

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. net — in sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. capital — a city
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stand — to bear
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. net — for catching
  9. snap — to click
  10. rest — a break
  11. can — a tin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — money
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — after costs
  18. rest — what's left
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. perch — the fish
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tear — from crying

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