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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: hand · stick · capital · scale · lash · land · spring · bulb

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. scale — size or range
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. land — a country
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — in music
  11. spring — of water
  12. capital — a city
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. land — ground
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. hand — help
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — the season
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. land — to come down

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