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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
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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 · clip · cap · saw · wound · capital · scale · mouse

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cap — a hat
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. scale — in music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. capital — money
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wound — an injury
  19. clip — to cut
  20. scale — size or range
  21. clip — a video
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. capital — a city

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