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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: object · plane · capital · club · dip · straw · chest · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. object — a thing
  3. plane — a tool
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. object — to protest
  6. club — a group
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. chest — of your body
  10. object — an aim
  11. capital — a city
  12. chest — a box
  13. dip — to sink
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. capital — money
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bore — to drill
  21. club — for golf
  22. chest — of your body
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. dip — to dunk

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