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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
468
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: current · spring · capital · perch · hide · coach · bulb · content

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — a city
  6. spring — of water
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. current — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — happy
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. capital — money
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. current — happening now
  21. content — the amount
  22. spring — the season
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bulb — for light

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