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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: bulb · bear · arm · pitcher · capital · deal · season · fork

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — money
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. season — of the year
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bear — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. capital — a city
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. arm — a part of something
  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