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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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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 · capital · cell · bear · key · press

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. capital — money
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. key — in music
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. press — to push
  10. capital — a city
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part

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