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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 120 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: capital · stem · bore · bowl · fan · rush · lash · pound

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. capital — a city
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. capital — money
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bore — to drill

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