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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · swing · fork · capital · drill · pound

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. swing — music
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. drill — the tool
  9. swing — in golf
  10. capital — money
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. swing — to play on

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