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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: rash · lash · perch · pitcher · fall · cell · capital · board

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — the season
  8. rash — a series
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rash — hasty
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. board — to get on
  19. cell — in biology
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — a city
  22. board — a committee
  23. capital — money
  24. lash — to lash out

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