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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: bulb · squash · rash · capital · bark · chip · tear · bowl

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. capital — money
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tear — from crying
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — a series
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bark — to shout

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