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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 116 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: capital · perch · net · squash · bulb · coach · pitcher · cabinet

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — after costs
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — for catching
  11. bulb — for light
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — in sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. capital — money
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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