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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 116 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: plane · mine · bore · dip · track · wind · capital · content

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. dip — to sink
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. track — a path
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — happy
  9. track — to keep track
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. content — the amount
  14. capital — a city
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — for digging
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wind — moving air

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