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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: mine · tube · capital · arm · suit · face · pop · bulb

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — to confront
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bulb — for light
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pop — soda
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tube — a container
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. capital — money
  24. 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