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

Word bank: capital · cabinet · fall · chest · pound · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. fall — the season
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. capital — money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chest — a box
  18. cabinet — ministers

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