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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. key — in music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. ground — a position
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — a tool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. key — the most important part
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. key — for a lock
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fan — a supporter

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