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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. band — a ring
  4. last — finally
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. last — to go on
  7. capital — money
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. capital — a city
  12. last — final
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stand — to bear
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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