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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.

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: spring · object · lash · racket · capital · cabinet · snap · fan

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spring — a coil
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. capital — money
  7. object — an aim
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. object — to protest
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. spring — the season
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. snap — to click
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — of water
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. object — a thing
  24. racket — a loud noise

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