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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · bowl · rash · bore · bulb · wave · file · tube

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. capital — a city
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — money
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. file — a tool
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tube — a container
  21. rash — a series
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. capital — a big letter

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