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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: pass · fork · rush · capital · bear · fall · field · perch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fall — the season
  5. bear — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. field — farmland
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fall — to drop
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — a subject
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. field — for sport
  20. pass — a permit
  21. capital — money
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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