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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: field · board · dip · face · capital · ruler · spring · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spring — of water
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — farmland
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. spring — a coil
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. field — a subject
  17. face — to point toward
  18. board — a committee
  19. spring — the season
  20. face — to confront
  21. board — to get on
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. dip — to sink

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