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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · racket · land · nail · wake · stick · rush · capital

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wake — a trail
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. land — ground
  8. capital — a city
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — thin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. capital — money
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. land — a country
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — to come down
  24. nail — for a hammer

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