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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 · foot · bass · field · bank · mine · spell · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bank — of a river
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. field — a subject
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — farmland
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bass — the fish
  20. foot — a measure
  21. field — for sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — low music
  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