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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: land · mug · plane · degree · deal · fall · capital · cabinet

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — ground
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. capital — money
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mug — to rob
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. land — a country
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fall — to drop
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fall — the season
  23. land — to come down
  24. deal — to handle

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