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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. capital — money
  6. lean — thin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. plane — a tool
  10. toast — bread
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lean — to bend
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rash — a series
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tear — to rip
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rash — hasty
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. nail — for a hammer

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