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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.

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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: capital · dip · lean · pound · stem · chip · perch · scale

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chip — to eat
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. chip — for betting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pound — a weight
  15. scale — size or range
  16. capital — money
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. scale — in music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. capital — a city
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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