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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: capital · tear · lie · cabinet · deal · lash · bulb · mate

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mate — to breed
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — from crying
  19. capital — money
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — for light
  24. capital — a city

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