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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: wake · lash · squash · hand · mate · capital · pass · craft

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. capital — money
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wake — a trail
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mate — a partner
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. squash — to crush
  22. capital — a city
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. craft — boats

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