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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.

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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: plane · mine · lean · rock · coach · capital · fine · pit

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lean — thin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fine — all right
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. capital — money
  16. fine — high quality
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rock — music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. capital — a city
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. plane — in geometry

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