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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: press · capital · spring · plane · track · file · scale · kid

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. spring — the season
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. kid — to tease
  6. capital — a city
  7. scale — in music
  8. track — to keep track
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. scale — size or range
  11. track — a path
  12. plane — a tool
  13. file — a tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. kid — child
  20. press — a publisher
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. file — a document
  23. capital — money
  24. track — a song

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