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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: wound · bass · bulb · arm · can · band · mug · capital

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — a tin
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mug — a face
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. capital — money
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wound — an injury
  14. band — a ring
  15. bass — low music
  16. band — a music group
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. capital — a city

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