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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 120 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 · scale · can · capital · branch · hide · bear · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. capital — a city
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. scale — in music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. can — to be able to
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. can — a tin
  21. branch — a division
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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