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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 116 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: snap · march · capital · track · coach · lash · mouse · perch

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. perch — the fish
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. march — music
  11. track — a song
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. march — the month
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to click
  20. march — the month
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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