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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 · bark · net · lash · ground · spring · bass · patient

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. net — for catching
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. capital — a city
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — money
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. net — after costs
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. ground — a position
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spring — of water
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. net — in sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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