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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 120 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: arm · band · lash · wave · row · bulb · leaves · capital

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. capital — a city
  5. row — a line
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. row — to paddle
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bulb — for light
  23. band — a music group
  24. bulb — of a plant

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