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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: hand · field · rock · board · rash · nail · capital · wind

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. capital — a city
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. board — to get on
  13. rash — a series
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. field — farmland
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — a committee
  19. wind — moving air
  20. field — a subject
  21. rash — hasty
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — for sport
  24. capital — money

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