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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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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: lash · march · lean · capital · kick · wave · roll · date

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. march — the month
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kick — in football
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lean — thin
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. march — the month
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. capital — money
  19. roll — a cake
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. lean — to bend
  22. capital — a city
  23. date — the fruit
  24. march — music

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