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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: stand · capital · fan · content · hide · perch · spring · wave

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spring — of water
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. capital — money
  13. content — happy
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spring — the season
  22. content — the amount
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wave — of the sea

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