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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: object · wound · rule · lash · pass · capital · file · lean

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — thin
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — money
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. file — a document
  15. rule — a law
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. object — to protest
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. object — a thing
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. object — an aim
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rule — government

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