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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 124 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: deal · bound · fine · bulb · row · capital · fork · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fork — in a road
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fine — all right

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