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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: net · hand · nail · track · rock · stem · fall · capital

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. capital — a city
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. capital — money
  10. track — a song
  11. rock — a stone
  12. track — to keep track
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — the season
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. net — in sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rock — music
  20. stem — to come from
  21. track — a path
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — after costs
  24. rock — to move gently

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