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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 116 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: fine · rash · bulb · court · current · stem · capital · band

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. band — a music group
  5. capital — a city
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. current — happening now
  9. court — of law
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rash — hasty
  12. current — of water
  13. bulb — for light
  14. band — a ring
  15. fine — all right
  16. court — of a king
  17. bulb — for light
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. capital — money
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. current — electric
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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