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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: cue · perch · bowl · dip · spring · capital · club · wax

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. club — for golf
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. club — a group
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. capital — money
  9. spring — the season
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. club — for dancing
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. spring — a coil
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spring — of water
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. capital — a city
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wax — to grow
  24. dip — to dunk

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