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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: straw · saw · roll · fan · object · capital · nail · press

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. press — a publisher
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. roll — a list
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. object — a thing
  7. press — newspapers
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. press — to push
  12. object — to protest
  13. roll — a cake
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. object — an aim
  24. straw — a straw man

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