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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — to drill
  21. capital — money
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. coach — a trainer

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