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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: lash · mine · bowl · coach · capital · rest · plane · mate

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rest — a break
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. capital — money
  24. rest — what's left

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