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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.

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: spring · capital · pound · perch · current · arm · wave · hand

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spring — the season
  3. perch — the fish
  4. capital — money
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — electric
  7. pound — a weight
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. capital — a city
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. current — happening now
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. spring — a coil
  22. current — of water
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — of water

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