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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: racket · scale · hide · capital · pound · bulb

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. capital — a city
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. scale — size or range
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. capital — money
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. scale — in music
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pound — a weight
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. scale — for weighing

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