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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: stand · wound · present · spring · bear · bulb · pitcher · capital

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. present — the time now
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — money
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. present — a gift
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bulb — for light
  22. present — there
  23. capital — a city
  24. bulb — of a plant

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