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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. capital — money
  3. content — happy
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. capital — a city
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — a committee
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. content — the amount
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cap — of ice
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. board — to get on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cap — a lid

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