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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: wave · mouse · capital · rash · nail · chest · land · bay

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — a country
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chest — of your body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. capital — money
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — ground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. land — to come down

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