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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.

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: spell · mine · bass · bulb · last · capital · leaves · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mine — for digging
  8. capital — money
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. last — finally
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. bass — the fish
  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