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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: lash · cold · field · safe · clip · capital · pop · can

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. capital — money
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — a subject
  12. can — a tin
  13. pop — soda
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. pop — music
  22. capital — a city
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — the Cold War

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