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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 116 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: wound · lash · safe · rest · cap · capital · bark · stick

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bark — to shout
  3. capital — a city
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rest — a break
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cap — a lid
  10. capital — money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cap — of ice
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rest — what's left

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