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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. club — a group
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. root — of a plant
  9. snap — to click
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. club — for golf
  12. bear — the animal
  13. current — happening now
  14. capital — money
  15. bulb — for light
  16. club — for dancing
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. root — of a word
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — to tease
  23. root — the cause
  24. bear — the animal

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