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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: fall · last · capital · band · row · pass · bank · lash

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pass — a permit
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fall — to drop
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bank — of a river
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. band — a ring
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. last — final
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. capital — a city
  20. row — a line
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. band — a music group

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