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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 · craft · sharp · net · wind · prune · capital · rest

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. rest — a break
  3. capital — a city
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — after costs
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — what's left
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. net — for catching
  18. capital — money
  19. net — in sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. rest — what's left

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