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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: toast · tear · racket · foot · band · capital · leaves · lash

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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 — a city
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. band — a ring
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tear — to rip
  9. capital — money
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. toast — bread
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. foot — a measure
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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