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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: chip · drill · rest · spell · lash · capital · club · trunk

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — for golf
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. drill — the tool
  11. club — a group
  12. drill — a practice
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rest — a break
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. capital — money
  19. spell — a short time
  20. drill — army training
  21. spell — letters
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spell — magic
  24. rest — what's left

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