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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: capital · bank · clip · trunk · bound · pop · saw · bulb

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bound — tied together
  5. saw — the tool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. bank — of a river
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bound — certain
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bank — for money
  16. capital — a city
  17. bound — obliged
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. capital — money
  20. pop — music
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. clip — a video

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