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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mark · trunk · mate · fan · plane · capital · stock

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. capital — a city
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stock — goods
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mark — a trace
  12. capital — money
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — shares
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. plane — in geometry

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