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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: plane · pit · rash · stick · capital · lash · bass · wind

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. capital — a city
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rash — hasty
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bass — the fish
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bass — low music
  15. rash — a series
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pit — in a race
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. capital — money
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — on the skin

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