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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: staff · wind · hide · fine · shower · capital · plane · trunk

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. plane — in geometry
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — money
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — rain
  13. capital — a city
  14. fine — high quality
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fine — all right
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — to wash
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. staff — employees
  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