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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 120 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: hide · chest · stand · deal · cap · lash · capital · bulb

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stand — to bear
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chest — a box
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cap — a hat
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. capital — money
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. capital — a city
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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