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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 · cap · band · lash · racket · pass · shower · leaves

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. capital — money
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cap — a hat
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. band — a ring
  12. shower — rain
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cap — of ice
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cap — a lid

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