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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · bulb · lean · capital · fall · lash

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lean — thin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. capital — a city
  12. bass — low music
  13. capital — money
  14. fall — the season
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light

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