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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
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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: can · plane · deal · clip · race · capital · trunk · bat

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. plane — a tool
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. capital — money
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. race — humankind
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. race — the arms race
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bat — the animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. clip — for paper
  21. race — a contest
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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