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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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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: stem · bank · court · perch · capital · pop · pit · racket

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pop — music
  8. court — for sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. capital — money
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. capital — a city
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pop — soda
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pit — in a race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pit — a hole

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