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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: key · bowl · capital · stem · ground · foot · plane · rush

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. plane — a tool
  9. key — in music
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rush — hurry
  14. capital — a city
  15. key — for a lock
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stem — of a plant

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