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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.

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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: rest · spell · capital · wind · bore · fan · firm · bulb

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — money
  4. bulb — for light
  5. firm — decided
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rest — a break
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. spell — letters
  15. rest — what's left
  16. firm — a company
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. capital — a city
  23. bore — to drill
  24. firm — steady

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