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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 · capital · hand · wound · coach · bore · dip · rule

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — money
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — help
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rule — government
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. capital — a city
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. coach — a trainer

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