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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 120 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. capital — a city
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bark — to shout
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stand — to bear
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bass — low music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. calf — a young animal
  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