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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: lash · object · chair · track · spring · march · capital · coach

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. capital — money
  3. march — the month
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chair — a leader
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. object — an aim
  11. march — music
  12. track — a path
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. object — a thing
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. capital — a city
  17. object — to protest
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. spring — the season
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. spring — of water
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. track — a song

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