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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: capital · foot · last · fan · mouse · branch · nail · mine

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. capital — money
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. last — to go on
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. capital — a city
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mine — an explosive

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