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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — a division
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. face — to confront
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — a city
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wind — moving air
  22. face — part of the head
  23. club — for golf
  24. wind — to turn a key

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