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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: rest · nail · capital · bulb · club · kick · date · craft

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. club — for golf
  3. capital — a city
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kick — in football
  9. rest — a break
  10. club — a group
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. craft — boats
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — money
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bulb — for light
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rest — what's left

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