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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.

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: fine · trunk · cabinet · plane · clip · capital · hand · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. capital — a city
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — help
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. spell — letters
  15. plane — a tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fine — high quality

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