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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: plane · lash · object · degree · last · capital · stick · hide

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — a city
  14. object — a thing
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. object — an aim
  19. capital — money
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. object — to protest
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — temperature

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