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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: wound · lie · bulb · capital · stand · can · pound · sharp

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bulb — for light
  3. capital — a city
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — to be able to
  6. capital — money
  7. can — a tin
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — to bear
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. can — a tin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — a weight
  24. lie — an untruth

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