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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · tube · band · season · capital · bulb

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a city
  6. season — of the year
  7. band — a music group
  8. bulb — for light
  9. band — a ring
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. key — in music
  13. capital — money
  14. tube — the underground
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tube — a container

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