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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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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: wound · snap · lean · capital · lash · spell · calf · chair

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. capital — a city
  7. snap — to click
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — letters
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. spell — magic
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lean — thin
  24. capital — money

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