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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: game · scale · capital · bulb · mark · bore · ball · wake

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. capital — money
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. scale — in music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ball — a great time
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ball — a round shape

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