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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · band · hide · rash · fall · charge · capital · prune

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. charge — a price
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — a series
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — money
  15. band — a music group
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. band — a ring
  19. rash — hasty
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. charge — in control
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fall — the season
  24. hide — animal skin

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