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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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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: kick · tear · plane · spring · capital · lash · pitcher · toast

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tear — to rip
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. capital — money
  5. plane — a tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. capital — a city
  10. spring — a coil
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spring — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spring — of water
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitcher — a jug

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