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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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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bank — for money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. capital — a city
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — money
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bank — for money
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. bank — of a river
  24. charge — electricity

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