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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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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 · kid · arm · wake · pitcher · mine · capital · fork

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fork — in a road
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. kid — child
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kid — to tease
  24. capital — a big letter

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