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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: capital · lean · lash · fan · bark · wave · foot · arm

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. capital — money
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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