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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 116 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: fan · march · capital · leaves · bass · lash · spell · trunk

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — low music
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — a short time
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. march — music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spell — letters
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. capital — money
  24. spell — magic

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