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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: dip · rest · capital · bulb · band · wake · drill · pitch

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. drill — army training
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. capital — a city
  6. band — a music group
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitch — completely
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a ring
  22. wake — a trail
  23. drill — a practice
  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