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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: rash · capital · perch · field · bulb · land · mark · firm

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. firm — steady
  5. perch — the fish
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — a country
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. field — a subject
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. capital — money
  15. rash — a series
  16. land — ground
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. firm — a company
  21. mark — a grade
  22. capital — a city
  23. mark — a trace
  24. firm — decided

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