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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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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: sharp · bulb · scale · bowl · capital · pound

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. capital — money
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. scale — in music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — clever
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. scale — size or range
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. capital — a city

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