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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: mine · hide · kid · capital · spring · suit · bulb · mug

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. mug — a cup
  11. suit — in cards
  12. capital — a city
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kid — child
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spring — of water
  20. capital — money
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mug — a face
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. suit — to fit

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