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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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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: wave · capital · race · rule · bulb · branch · cap · lie

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. cap — a hat
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. capital — money
  5. race — a contest
  6. bulb — for light
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. branch — a division
  10. race — humankind
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cap — a lid
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. cap — of ice
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  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