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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bulb — for light
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rock — music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — a city
  17. rock — a stone
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bass — low music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wake — a trail

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