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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: scale · capital · straw · pound · mark · stick · perch · rush

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. scale — in music
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mark — a trace
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mark — a grade
  14. perch — the fish
  15. capital — money
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pound — a weight
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. capital — a city
  24. perch — for a bird

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