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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. band — a music group
  3. capital — money
  4. net — in sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. net — after costs
  7. spell — magic
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rush — hurry
  12. band — a ring
  13. spell — a short time
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. net — for catching
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spell — letters

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