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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: capital · rule · spell · shower · perch · mate · wax · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — magic
  3. capital — a city
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — a friend
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. shower — to wash
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rule — a law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. perch — the fish
  13. capital — money
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spell — letters
  17. rule — government
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mate — a partner
  23. shower — rain
  24. rule — to rule out

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