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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · bear · can · mine · perch · fine · staff · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bear — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — all right
  19. perch — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. staff — employees
  23. can — a tin
  24. capital — money

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