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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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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: pound · bulb · season · board · capital · snap · wind · object

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bulb — for light
  3. board — a committee
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. object — to protest
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. board — to get on
  11. pound — a weight
  12. object — an aim
  13. capital — a city
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — of the year
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — money
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. season — in sport
  21. object — a thing
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. snap — to click

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