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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: current · season · bulb · mouse · capital · foot · coach · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — of the year
  3. pop — music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. current — of water
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. current — electric
  14. foot — a measure
  15. season — in sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pop — soda
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. current — happening now
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — money

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