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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.

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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bound — certain
  5. spring — of water
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bound — obliged
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. capital — money
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spring — the season
  21. stem — to come from
  22. capital — a city
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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