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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: coach · pound · lash · vault · clip · stem · capital · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. pound — a weight
  4. capital — a city
  5. clip — for paper
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. clip — a video
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. vault — a safe
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. capital — money
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pound — for dogs

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