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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. capital — a city
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. kick — in football
  11. bank — for money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — to breed
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bank — of a river
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — money
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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