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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.

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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: nail · bear · present · spell · last · object · season · capital

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bear — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. present — the time now
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. capital — money
  7. present — a gift
  8. season — in sport
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. object — to protest
  12. capital — a city
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. season — of the year
  15. bear — the animal
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. spell — a short time
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. spell — letters
  22. last — to go on
  23. spell — magic
  24. nail — for a hammer

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