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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 116 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 · plane · march · bank · scale · perch · straw · row

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. perch — the fish
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bank — for money
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. row — a line
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. plane — a tool
  18. capital — a city
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — money
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. march — the month

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