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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mine — for digging
  4. content — the amount
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. march — music
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bank — for money
  13. bulb — for light
  14. dip — to sink
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. march — the month
  17. capital — money
  18. row — to paddle
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — happy
  24. dip — a sauce

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