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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: bulb · racket · pitch · bowl · cap · fine · band · bark

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. band — a music group
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bark — to shout
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fine — all right
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bowl — to roll

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