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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. net — for catching
  7. bank — of a river
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. board — to get on
  11. season — of the year
  12. bank — for money
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. net — after costs
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. tear — to rip
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — a committee
  24. trunk — of a car

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