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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: mine · perch · cabinet · pop · shower · roll · capital · foot

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pop — soda
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pop — to visit
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — music
  13. capital — a city
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. capital — money
  21. roll — a list
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mine — for digging

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