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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: perch · hand · track · wake · pit · stem · capital · bay

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. capital — a city
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — money
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pit — a hole
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. hand — help
  19. stem — to come from
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bay — a horse colour

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