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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. date — the fruit
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — money
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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