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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: band · net · bulb · kick · patient · pitch · capital · wake

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. net — for catching
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. band — a music group
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. band — a ring
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. net — after costs
  19. bulb — for light
  20. net — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — in football
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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