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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: pop · capital · row · mark · nail · bear · coach · fan

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — a grade
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pop — soda
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mark — a trace
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bear — the animal
  21. capital — money
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pop — music

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