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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.

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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: safe · pound · snap · content · bulb · wind · capital · coach

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. bulb — for light
  3. capital — a city
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — the amount
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — money
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — happy
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. snap — to click
  22. pound — a weight
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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