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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 116 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: file · nail · capital · scale · bore · wake · band · swing

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. swing — to play on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — money
  7. scale — in music
  8. bore — to drill
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bore — to tire
  12. swing — music
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. capital — a city
  16. file — a document
  17. swing — in golf
  18. band — a ring
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — size or range
  21. band — a music group
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. capital — a big letter

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