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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: capital · last · ground · pound · foot · field · dip · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. field — for sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. field — a subject
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — a city
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. last — final
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — a position
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. foot — a measure
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ground — the earth

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