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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 120 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: sharp · bound · season · spell · band · cap · bulb · capital

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. spell — a short time
  3. capital — money
  4. spell — letters
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — in sport
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. band — a ring
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — a city
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. spell — magic
  21. season — of the year
  22. bound — certain
  23. sharp — clever
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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