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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 · bank · plane · capital · arm · nail · mate · coach

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — a partner
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bank — of a river
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bank — for money
  13. plane — a tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mate — to breed
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. capital — money
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. coach — a trainer

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