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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 120 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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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: capital · nail · band · mouse · key · snap · file · perch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. key — in music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. snap — to click
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. band — a ring
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. file — a line of people
  21. key — for a lock
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. key — the most important part

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