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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: stand · object · sharp · cell · bound · capital · perch · fan

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — an aim
  3. capital — money
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. sharp — clever
  14. object — to protest
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bound — obliged
  18. object — a thing
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. capital — a city

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