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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
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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: dip · plane · wound · leaves · foot · capital · content · staff

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wound — an injury
  9. capital — money
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. staff — employees
  12. foot — a measure
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. dip — to sink
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. staff — employees
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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