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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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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: season · march · capital · bowl · wound · mate · perch · wave

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — money
  8. season — of the year
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mate — a friend
  11. march — the month
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mate — to breed
  15. march — music
  16. capital — a city
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mate — a partner
  24. season — in sport

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