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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: fork · wind · capital · tube · rush · trunk · ball · plane

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. plane — a tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. capital — money
  16. ball — a great time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wind — moving air
  22. capital — a city
  23. tube — a container
  24. ball — a round shape

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