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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: spring · plane · capital · tear · staff · ball · mouse · squash

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spring — of water
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. tear — to rip
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — to crush
  16. plane — a tool
  17. capital — money
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. squash — the sport
  21. staff — a stick
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ball — a great time

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