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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: sharp · fork · rest · bulb · mouse · leaves · capital · file

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. capital — money
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. sharp — clever
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. file — a document
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bulb — for light
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. capital — a city
  23. fork — in a road
  24. file — a tool

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