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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: temple · board · pound · scale · chest · perch · capital · rock

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. capital — a city
  3. rock — music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. capital — money
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rock — a stone
  15. scale — in music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. scale — size or range
  19. board — to get on
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. chest — a box

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