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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
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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: bear · capital · degree · lean · date · squash · bulb · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. capital — a city
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bulb — for light
  7. squash — the sport
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bear — the animal
  12. capital — money
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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