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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · capital · season · date · lean · land · stand · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. land — to come down
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. season — of the year
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. capital — money
  9. date — the fruit
  10. land — ground
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — thin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. perch — the fish
  18. capital — a city
  19. land — a country
  20. stand — to bear
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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