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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: pitch · row · bulb · snap · wound · craft · capital · stand

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to click
  5. row — a line
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stand — to bear
  14. row — to paddle
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. capital — money
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitch — completely
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wound — an injury

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