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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 116 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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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: stick · mouse · file · pop · tube · capital · cell · perch

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. file — a document
  3. tube — a container
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cell — in biology
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pop — to visit
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cell — a phone
  23. capital — money
  24. pop — soda

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