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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.

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: bark · mouse · bass · foot · perch · mate · leaves · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bass — low music
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. foot — a measure
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bass — the instrument

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