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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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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: bay · tear · swing · field · perch · capital · fall · stand

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fall — the season
  6. stand — to bear
  7. field — for sport
  8. swing — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. swing — to play on
  16. field — farmland
  17. swing — in golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. field — a subject
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fall — to drop

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