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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: cabinet · row · capital · tube · lash · ruler · spring · toast

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. capital — money
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. capital — a city
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. spring — the season
  18. toast — bread
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tube — a container

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