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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: capital · date · pound · tube · charge · can · spring · pop

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. charge — in control
  3. capital — a city
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. capital — money
  6. spring — the season
  7. charge — electricity
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tube — a container
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pound — a weight
  15. spring — a coil
  16. charge — a price
  17. can — a tin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — to hit hard

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