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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: scale · perch · foot · spring · roll · capital · charge · mark

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. roll — a list
  7. charge — a price
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. charge — electricity
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spring — a coil
  16. scale — size or range
  17. charge — in control
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mark — a grade
  22. scale — in music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. foot — a measure

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