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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: mouse · can · capital · clip · nail · cue · fall · wind

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — the season
  14. clip — to cut
  15. can — a tin
  16. clip — a video
  17. can — a tin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — for a hammer

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