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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 · stand · clip · kick · capital · wax · mate · craft

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. clip — a video
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. craft — boats
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. craft — a skill
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mate — a friend
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wax — to grow

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