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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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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: mouse · wave · pitch · perch · net · land · pound · capital

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pound — a weight
  6. land — a country
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. perch — the fish
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. net — for catching
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pitch — completely
  17. capital — money
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. land — to come down
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. net — in sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. net — after costs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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