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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: capital · march · pop · perch · season · bulb · wave · current

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. current — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. capital — money
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. march — the month
  10. current — electric
  11. march — music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. season — of the year
  14. bulb — for light
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. current — happening now
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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