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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.

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: chip · capital · pound · mate · plane · staff · spring · coach

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spring — a coil
  4. staff — employees
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chip — for betting
  12. staff — a stick
  13. capital — money
  14. spring — of water
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spring — the season
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. capital — a city
  21. pound — a weight
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. staff — employees

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