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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. capital — money
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — a city
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. tube — the underground
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. scale — size or range
  19. tube — a container
  20. scale — in music
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. snap — to click
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. prune — to trim

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