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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: field · pop · scale · coach · spell · net · plane · capital

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — farmland
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pop — soda
  15. spell — magic
  16. plane — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — letters
  23. scale — size or range
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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