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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: clip · capital · stock · leaves · nail · bay · plane · fan

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stock — goods
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. clip — for paper
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. capital — a city
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stock — shares
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. plane — a tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. clip — to cut
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. plane — an aircraft

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