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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: board · wake · tear · field · capital · last · lash · charge

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. capital — a city
  4. tear — to rip
  5. capital — money
  6. charge — in control
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — for sport
  12. tear — from crying
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. board — to get on
  16. last — finally
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. last — final
  20. board — a committee
  21. last — to go on
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wake — a trail
  24. charge — a price

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