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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: row · spring · wound · pound · mark · perch · stick · capital

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mark — a grade
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — the season
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. row — to paddle
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — of water
  23. row — a line
  24. pound — to hit hard

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