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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: plane · spring · capital · leaves · hand · face · suit · rash

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spring — a coil
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rash — a series
  5. suit — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. suit — clothes
  8. capital — money
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rash — hasty
  11. face — to confront
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. plane — a tool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. suit — to fit
  16. spring — the season
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. capital — a city
  24. leaves — to go away

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