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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.

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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: band · fine · nail · bark · pound · capital · wax · mate

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mate — to breed
  9. capital — a city
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fine — high quality
  17. capital — money
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fine — all right
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. bark — of a tree

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