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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: current · rush · capital · key · bark · fall · straw · nail

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — hurry
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. capital — money
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. current — happening now
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bark — to shout
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rush — to hurry

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