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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. capital — a city
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. can — a tin
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. can — to be able to
  13. capital — money
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — a stick
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bat — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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