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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: plane · nail · bowl · last · firm · capital · scale · fork

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. last — final
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. scale — size or range
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — in music
  11. capital — a city
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. last — finally
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. firm — steady
  16. last — to go on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fork — in a road
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. plane — a tool
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. firm — decided
  23. capital — money
  24. fork — a garden tool

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