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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 120 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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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: cap · wind · perch · stand · pound · fan · track · scale

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — in music
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cap — a lid

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