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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: game · capital · scale · tube · perch · bulb · saw · cap

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cap — a lid
  4. capital — a city
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bulb — for light
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. capital — money

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