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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · can · capital · plane · hand · present · clip · toast

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. toast — bread
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hand — in cards
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. present — the time now
  8. can — a tin
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. can — to be able to
  11. present — a gift
  12. clip — a video
  13. hand — help
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — for paper
  16. capital — a city
  17. fall — to drop
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fall — to drop
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. capital — money
  23. present — there
  24. fall — the season

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