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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 · capital · spring · tube · nail · suit · field · degree

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. field — a subject
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. plane — a tool
  5. tube — a container
  6. suit — in cards
  7. spring — a coil
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. degree — temperature
  10. field — farmland
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spring — the season
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. suit — clothes
  16. capital — money
  17. degree — an amount
  18. capital — a city
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — for sport
  22. spring — of water
  23. tube — the underground
  24. nail — for a hammer

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