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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · saw · land · pitcher · capital · bound · bore · bulb

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bound — tied together
  9. land — a country
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bound — certain
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. capital — a city
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — money
  20. land — ground
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bulb — for light
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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