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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: coach · net · bound · track · capital · wind · root · bulb

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. root — of a word
  5. track — a path
  6. wind — moving air
  7. capital — a city
  8. track — a song
  9. root — of a plant
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — money
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — for catching
  18. bound — certain
  19. track — to keep track
  20. root — the cause
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bound — tied together

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