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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: spring · nail · cap · capital · plane · rush · shower · bark

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bark — to shout
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spring — of water
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — the season
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — a coil
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. capital — a city
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rush — hurry

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