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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: perch · net · track · last · capital · bank · cue · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cue — a hint
  3. last — finally
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bank — for money
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — of a river
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — a path
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — final
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. last — to go on
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bank — for money
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. capital — money

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