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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. capital — a city
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — money
  11. season — in sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wind — moving air
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. season — of the year
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kid — child
  23. capital — a big letter
  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