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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: tear · capital · fork · degree · bulb · spell · pass · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. capital — money
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pass — a permit
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spell — magic
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pass — to succeed

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