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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: fan · wave · perch · stem · capital · pound · lean · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — thin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pound — a weight
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wave — with your hand

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