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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.

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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: bark · lash · sharp · suit · last · capital · wake · spring

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. last — finally
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — a coil
  6. capital — a city
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. spring — of water
  11. suit — to fit
  12. capital — money
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. last — final
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. last — to go on
  19. suit — in cards
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — the season
  24. bark — to shout

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