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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: firm · rush · capital · charge · bulb · nail · calf · cold

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. cold — not warm
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. firm — a company
  17. capital — a city
  18. rush — hurry
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. charge — electricity
  22. capital — money
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bulb — for light

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