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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · nail · tube · fall · scale · kid · spell · board

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. kid — child
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — to tease
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. capital — a city
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fall — the season
  13. capital — money
  14. tube — a container
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — a committee
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spell — letters
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. scale — size or range

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