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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. capital — money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pound — a weight
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — of the leg

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