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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: capital · perch · rule · shower · leaves · suit · kick · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. shower — to wash
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. shower — rain
  6. bound — certain
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — government
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bound — tied together
  14. suit — clothes
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rule — a law
  21. capital — money
  22. suit — to fit
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. capital — a city

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