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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: capital · firm · bear · plane · lash · ground · face · saw

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ground — a position
  3. plane — a tool
  4. firm — decided
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ground — crushed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. firm — a company
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. firm — steady
  19. capital — money
  20. ground — the earth
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a city
  23. bear — the animal
  24. plane — in geometry

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