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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.

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: tube · capital · spring · court · plane · mug · pitcher · craft

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mug — a cup
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — to rob
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. plane — a tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. craft — boats
  22. tube — a container
  23. spring — of water
  24. court — of law

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