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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: squash · land · bulb · tube · prune · capital · pit · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. capital — money
  3. pit — in a race
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bulb — for light
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tube — a container
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. squash — the sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — the underground
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rash — a series
  20. land — a country
  21. capital — a city
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pit — a hole

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