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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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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: toast · capital · bulb · fork · chair · spell · temple · wind

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. spell — magic
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. capital — money
  11. fork — in a road
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. capital — a city
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — letters
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bulb — of a plant

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