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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: field · plane · mug · capital · jam · temple · fan · straw

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. field — a subject
  10. mug — to rob
  11. plane — a tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mug — a face
  19. field — farmland
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mug — a cup
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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