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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 · root · fan · wax · clip · bank · capital · cue

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cue — for pool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bank — for money
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. root — of a word
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cue — a hint
  15. root — of a plant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bank — for money
  18. root — the cause
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — a video
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — to cut
  23. capital — a city
  24. perch — for a bird

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