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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 120 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: charge · bulb · foot · season · nail · capital · bound · chair

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — in control
  6. foot — a measure
  7. charge — a price
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bound — tied together
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. charge — electricity
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bound — certain
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — a leader
  21. capital — a city
  22. season — of the year
  23. bound — obliged
  24. nail — for a hammer

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