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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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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: straw · capital · hand · bear · kid · bulb · wave · craft

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bulb — for light
  9. craft — a skill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bear — the animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — child
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. craft — boats
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. capital — a city
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. straw — dry grass

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