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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: trunk · capital · bowl · lash · swing · season · cue · row

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cue — a signal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cue — for pool
  12. capital — money
  13. swing — in golf
  14. season — in sport
  15. cue — a hint
  16. season — of the year
  17. row — a line
  18. swing — music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. row — a quarrel

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