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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: spring · capital · lean · bear · hand · plane · mark · present

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. hand — help
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. spring — of water
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. present — a gift
  7. mark — a trace
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. spring — a coil
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — there
  15. spring — the season
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lean — thin
  19. present — the time now
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mark — a grade
  23. capital — a city
  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