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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 120 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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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: cell · bulb · fine · capital · mark · kick · wind · pop

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pop — soda
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. pop — music
  14. capital — money
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cell — in biology
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mark — a trace
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in a prison

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