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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mark — a grade
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — a country
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. land — ground
  10. bound — tied together
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — a city
  15. land — to come down
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — certain
  20. capital — money
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spring — the season

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