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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — for money
  4. staff — employees
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. chest — of your body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bank — for money
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bank — of a river
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. capital — money
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. staff — employees
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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