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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.

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: swing · nail · toast · capital · perch · bulb · game · trunk

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. toast — bread
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. bulb — for light
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — in golf
  14. capital — a city
  15. game — wild animals
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. swing — to play on
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. perch — the fish

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