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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: capital · fan · bulb · stand · perch · kick · cap · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — a city
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kick — in football
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stand — to bear
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. capital — money
  21. cap — a lid
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. perch — the fish

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