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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: nail · mate · capital · swing · last · stem · cabinet · board

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. board — a committee
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. capital — money
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. capital — a city
  9. swing — in golf
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mate — a friend
  13. board — to get on
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mate — a partner
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — to breed
  20. swing — music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. last — finally

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