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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: shower · staff · nail · capital · branch · sharp · mouse · mate

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mate — a friend
  9. sharp — clever
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — money
  13. mate — a partner
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. branch — a division
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — a city
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mate — to breed
  24. staff — a stick

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