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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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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: capital · trunk · snap · nail · calf · band · rule · chip

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. capital — money
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. capital — a city
  15. band — a ring
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chip — for betting
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. snap — to click
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. trunk — of a car

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