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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: drill · capital · bulb · rule · scale · pop · tear · ball

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. scale — in music
  5. capital — money
  6. rule — government
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rule — a law
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ball — a dance
  15. scale — size or range
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. capital — a city
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pop — to visit
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bulb — for light
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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