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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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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: ball · capital · last · leaves · perch · current · rash · wake

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. last — final
  5. current — electric
  6. last — finally
  7. ball — a great time
  8. current — of water
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rash — a series
  11. current — happening now
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rash — hasty
  14. capital — a city
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ball — a dance
  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