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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
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: plane · file · wound · lash · capital · stock · fine · bay

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fine — all right
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. capital — money
  9. file — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stock — shares
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. file — a document
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. stock — goods
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wound — an injury

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