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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 116 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: saw · press · net · capital · current · fan · mine · plane

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. net — for catching
  5. current — electric
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. press — to push
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. press — a publisher
  16. plane — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. current — happening now
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — after costs
  23. current — of water
  24. capital — money

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