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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. season — of the year
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — a tin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. capital — money
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — magic
  14. tube — a container
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. capital — a city
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tube — the underground

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