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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: bulb · file · drill · pound · bound · bowl · band · capital

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. band — a ring
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. file — a line of people
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — certain
  8. drill — army training
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a tool
  12. pound — a weight
  13. file — a document
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. bulb — for light
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — obliged
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bowl — a dish
  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