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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — in cards
  6. plane — a tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. hand — help
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cap — a hat
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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