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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: bear · roll · staff · wound · deal · fall · perch · capital

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. staff — employees
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fall — the season
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — money
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. staff — a stick
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fall — to drop
  17. roll — a list
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fall — to drop
  23. capital — a city
  24. bear — the animal

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