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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: lean · capital · kick · club · jam · straw · scale · perch

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. club — a group
  3. kick — in football
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — for golf
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lean — thin
  10. capital — money
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. scale — in music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. scale — size or range
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. perch — the fish

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