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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: bulb · suit · capital · arm · rest · wind · pitcher · trunk

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. capital — money
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — to fit
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bulb — for light
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. suit — clothes
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — a city
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. trunk — of a tree

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