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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 · bulb · band · hide · kid · last · charge · straw

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — child
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. band — a ring
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. last — to go on
  10. band — a music group
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. capital — money
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. charge — a price
  17. last — finally
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. charge — in control
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. charge — electricity
  24. last — final

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