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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — of a river
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. capital — money
  5. season — of the year
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — help
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bank — for money
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. hand — in cards
  20. season — in sport
  21. capital — a city
  22. land — to come down
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bowl — a football final

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