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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: scale · trunk · plane · wave · perch · sharp · capital · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. capital — a city
  3. fine — high quality
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. capital — money
  9. scale — size or range
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. perch — the fish
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. scale — in music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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