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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 120 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: perch · arm · rest · band · stand · board · capital · pit

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pit — a hole
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — what's left
  7. band — a music group
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a committee
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stand — to bear
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a ring
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rest — a break
  24. board — to get on

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