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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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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: bay · perch · rest · spring · board · capital · straw · wave

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. capital — a city
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. board — to get on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rest — a break
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. capital — money
  14. spring — a coil
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. board — a committee
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. board — a flat piece

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