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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: perch · season · capital · cabinet · fork · wind · bass · bore

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — a city
  5. bore — to tire
  6. season — of the year
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bass — low music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bass — the fish
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. season — in sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fork — in a road
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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