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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 · cold · capital · root · pitch · coach · mark · leaves

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. capital — money
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. root — of a word
  20. cold — an illness
  21. root — of a plant
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. root — the cause

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