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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: capital · bat · jam · spring · cue · leaves · fan · nail

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spring — of water
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — a city
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. spring — the season
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. leaves — to go away

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