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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: can · saw · wound · capital · bark · perch · stick · cap

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bark — to shout
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. capital — money
  11. cap — of ice
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — a city
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — the tool

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