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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: bank · staff · nail · capital · rock · mine · rush · ground

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rock — music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mine — for digging
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bank — for money
  14. capital — a city
  15. bank — for money
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. capital — money
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. staff — a stick

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