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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.

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: spell · field · rash · bulb · pass · lash · straw · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. spell — letters
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. capital — money
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spell — a short time
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — hasty
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — farmland
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rash — a series
  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