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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 120 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: capital · tube · plane · swing · rash · saw · game · bark

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. capital — a city
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. swing — music
  8. tube — a container
  9. swing — in golf
  10. game — a match
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rash — hasty
  13. game — wild animals
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. swing — to play on
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. bark — to shout

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