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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 116 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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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: track · fork · fall · bulb · capital · pound · ground · cap

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. track — a path
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fall — to drop
  13. track — a song
  14. ground — crushed
  15. capital — money
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a lid
  19. fall — the season
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ground — a position
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pound — to hit hard

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