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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: bay · trunk · capital · fan · swing · nail · spring · coach

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. swing — to play on
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. swing — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — money
  7. swing — in golf
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. spring — a coil
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. capital — a city
  16. spring — the season
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spring — of water
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — a supporter

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