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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: rush · nail · key · capital · mate · present · bark · current

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. capital — a city
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — in music
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — a gift
  14. current — happening now
  15. mate — to breed
  16. key — the most important part
  17. present — there
  18. mate — a friend
  19. present — the time now
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bark — of a tree

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