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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: sharp · lash · roll · chest · rush · bulb · cap · capital

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. capital — a city
  5. roll — a cake
  6. capital — money
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cap — a hat
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. roll — a list
  21. chest — a box
  22. cap — a lid
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bulb — for light

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