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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · charge · bowl · perch · branch · capital · pop · ball

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a great time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a dance
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pop — soda
  17. charge — a price
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. capital — money
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pop — to visit
  23. charge — in control
  24. branch — a division

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