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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · mug · tube · season · spring · drill · nail · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spring — the season
  3. tube — the underground
  4. drill — a practice
  5. capital — a city
  6. drill — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. capital — money
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. drill — army training
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mug — a face
  18. spring — of water
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mug — to rob
  21. season — of the year
  22. tube — a container
  23. spring — a coil
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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