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

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. capital — a city
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. craft — a skill
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. craft — boats
  12. rash — a series
  13. spring — of water
  14. net — after costs
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. capital — money
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rash — on the 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