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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.

Make a worksheet

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: land · rash · rest · bulb · present · drill · object · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — for light
  4. present — the time now
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. capital — money
  7. drill — a practice
  8. present — a gift
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. land — a country
  13. object — a thing
  14. present — there
  15. rash — hasty
  16. object — to protest
  17. rest — what's left
  18. land — ground
  19. object — an aim
  20. drill — army training
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rash — a series
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. drill — the tool

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