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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 · capital · calf · fine · bound · bat · spring · current

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. capital — money
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. spring — the season
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bound — certain
  10. current — electric
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spring — of water
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. current — happening now
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. current — of water
  22. capital — a city
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bound — tied together

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