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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.

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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: rush · capital · board · plane · patient · game · squash · nail

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. squash — to crush
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a match
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rush — hurry
  9. capital — money
  10. squash — the sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. board — to get on
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. capital — a city

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