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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: pit · rush · plane · saw · capital · board · wound · tube

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pit — a hole
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. capital — a city
  8. tube — a container
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. board — a committee
  16. rush — hurry
  17. board — to get on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. capital — money
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. capital — a big letter

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