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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fan · file · wake · lash · capital · press · bark

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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 — the fish
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wake — a trail
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. file — a tool
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. capital — a city
  19. file — a document
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — to push
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bark — of a tree
  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