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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 · leaves · rule · board · cell · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rule — a law
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. board — a committee
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rule — government
  18. leaves — to go away

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