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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: wound · lash · cabinet · deal · cue · last · capital · saw

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. deal — to handle
  7. last — final
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. capital — a city
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. last — to go on
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. last — finally
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. saw — the tool
  24. capital — money

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