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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.

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 · arm · fan · trunk · bound · capital · tear · file

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. plane — a tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — certain
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — tied together
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. file — a document
  22. capital — money
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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