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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. march — music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a ring
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. plane — a tool
  15. capital — a city
  16. band — a music group
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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