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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — in music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bound — certain
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — the fish
  14. scale — size or range
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — money
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bank — for money

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