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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 116 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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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: stick · patient · saw · fall · racket · perch · capital · content

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — the amount
  6. perch — the fish
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — a city
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. content — happy
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. capital — money
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. racket — a loud noise

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