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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: wave · content · bulb · pound · spell · pitcher · perch · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — magic
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. content — happy
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — letters
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spell — a short time
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wave — of the sea

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