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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 116 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 · bulb · coach · pit · ruler · spring · file · pitcher

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a line of people
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. capital — money
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. capital — a city
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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