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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: lash · fall · ball · capital · wave · spring · ruler · court

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spring — of water
  6. court — for sport
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. court — of a king
  14. fall — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. capital — a city
  18. spring — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — money
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. court — of law
  24. wave — of the sea

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