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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.

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: fall · lean · bat · lash · capital · safe · spell · prune

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. capital — a city
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bat — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lean — thin
  13. spell — letters
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fall — the season
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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