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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 120 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: cap · pop · calf · deal · spring · plane · arm · pitcher

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pop — soda
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pop — music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cap — a hat
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. plane — a tool

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