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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 116 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: track · wound · bulb · net · capital · sharp · tube · straw

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wound — an injury
  6. tube — a container
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. net — for catching
  10. track — a path
  11. tube — the underground
  12. capital — a city
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — in sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — after costs
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. capital — money
  24. sharp — clever

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