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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · ground · trunk · lash · wound · season · fall · scale

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — the earth
  19. season — in sport
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fall — the season
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ground — a position
  24. wound — an injury

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