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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: rush · bulb · scale · band · capital · squash · hide · chip

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — hurry
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. capital — money
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bulb — for light
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. squash — to crush
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. scale — in music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. band — a ring
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a music group
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. scale — for weighing

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