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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: trunk · content · stand · track · wave · perch · capital · date

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. perch — the fish
  6. capital — a city
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. track — to keep track
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. content — happy
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — the amount
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. track — a song
  22. capital — money
  23. track — a path
  24. wave — with your hand

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