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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: pitcher · bowl · bulb · nail · suit · capital · swing · wax

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — money
  11. suit — to fit
  12. capital — a city
  13. swing — to play on
  14. suit — clothes
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. swing — in golf

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