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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 · saw · wind · spring · cabinet · firm · last · capital

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. plane — a tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. spring — of water
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. capital — money
  12. firm — steady
  13. last — finally
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — final
  16. spring — the season
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. firm — a company
  19. capital — a city
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. firm — decided
  23. spring — a coil
  24. saw — the tool

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