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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · lean · charge · spring · capital · drill · lash · march

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. charge — electricity
  8. march — the month
  9. charge — a price
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — in control
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spring — a coil
  19. kid — to tease
  20. march — music
  21. spring — of water
  22. lean — thin
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. kid — child

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