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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. last — to go on
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bound — certain
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bound — obliged
  7. capital — money
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bank — for money
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rock — music
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mark — a grade
  18. capital — a city
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bank — for money
  24. stem — of a plant

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