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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.

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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: race · bound · plane · season · band · fall · capital · dip

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a city
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bound — tied together
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fall — the season
  13. race — humankind
  14. band — a ring
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. band — a music group
  19. capital — money
  20. season — in sport
  21. race — a contest
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — of the year
  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