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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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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: vault · band · fork · lash · capital · present · hide · snap

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. band — a ring
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. capital — a city
  7. vault — a safe
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. capital — money
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. present — the time now
  12. snap — to click
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — in a road
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. present — a gift
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. band — a rubber band

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