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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: straw · tube · capital · cap · nail · bulb · object · season

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. object — an aim
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — a container
  12. season — in sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. season — of the year
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cap — a lid
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — money
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cap — of ice

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