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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: fork · capital · mark · mouse · fan · mine · perch · rule

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — government
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mark — a grade
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — a law
  10. capital — a city
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. capital — money
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mouse — the animal

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