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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: chair · plane · capital · cue · roll · tear · craft · mug

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. capital — a city
  3. tear — from crying
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. mug — a face
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mug — to rob
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cue — a signal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chair — a leader
  16. craft — boats
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. roll — a list
  20. plane — a tool
  21. roll — a cake
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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