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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: capital · plane · pit · bark · ground · cap · saw · fine

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — to shout
  8. capital — money
  9. fine — all right
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ground — a position
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ground — the earth

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