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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: ground · content · fork · bulb · swing · capital · safe · chest

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fork — in a road
  3. capital — money
  4. content — happy
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. capital — a city
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. content — the amount
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — a box
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — the earth
  20. swing — music
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. swing — in golf
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ground — a position

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