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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 · trunk · date · bulb · sharp · saw · press · row

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. date — the fruit
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. press — to push
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. capital — a city
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. press — a publisher
  15. capital — money
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — to paddle
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — a line
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. trunk — of a tree

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