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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: branch · bowl · bulb · fall · fan · capital · wind · firm

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bulb — for light
  4. firm — a company
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — a city
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. firm — steady
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. firm — decided
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fall — the season
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. capital — money
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fall — to drop
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. bowl — a dish

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