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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: rush · leaves · capital · nail · lean · fan · chest · wax

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. capital — a city
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chest — a box
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. leaves — of a tree

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