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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: field · shower · capital · plane · deal · fall · mug · coach

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fall — to drop
  6. shower — rain
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. deal — to handle
  10. capital — a city
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — the season
  14. mug — to rob
  15. field — a subject
  16. mug — a face
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mug — a cup
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — for sport
  23. plane — a tool
  24. field — farmland

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