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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: squash · mine · perch · current · bear · capital · rash · ball

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rash — a series
  4. ball — a dance
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. squash — the sport
  11. capital — a city
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — for digging
  18. capital — money
  19. ball — a great time
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. current — electric
  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