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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 120 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: bound · ground · object · stand · capital · row · perch · pit

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stand — to bear
  6. capital — money
  7. object — to protest
  8. ground — a position
  9. bound — obliged
  10. object — an aim
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bound — certain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pit — in a race
  20. object — a thing
  21. pit — a hole
  22. perch — the fish
  23. capital — a city
  24. perch — for a bird

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