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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: perch · land · capital · coach · rock · fan · lie · spell

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. land — ground
  4. capital — money
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. perch — the fish
  9. land — to come down
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. land — a country
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rock — a stone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. capital — a city
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. coach — a trainer

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