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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: pop · bulb · bat · charge · track · band · row · capital

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pop — soda
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. charge — in control
  7. row — a line
  8. bulb — for light
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pop — to visit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. track — to keep track
  14. capital — money
  15. track — a path
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. track — a song
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. capital — a city
  21. charge — a price
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pop — music
  24. band — a ring

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