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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: tear · capital · spring · rush · plane · hand · nail · sharp

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — money
  6. sharp — clever
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hand — help
  11. capital — a city
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hand — in cards
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. spring — the season
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spring — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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