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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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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: perch · capital · club · degree · racket · trunk · stick · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — for dancing
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. perch — the fish
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. club — a group
  11. pound — a weight
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — a city
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. capital — money
  19. club — for golf
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — an amount
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of a car

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