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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: bass · hand · can · capital · plane · wind · saw · lash

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. capital — money
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. hand — help
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. saw — the tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bass — low music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — the fish

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