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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.

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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: craft · rush · band · spring · firm · nail · staff · capital

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. staff — employees
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. staff — employees
  7. craft — boats
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a ring
  10. craft — a skill
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. capital — money
  15. staff — a stick
  16. firm — steady
  17. spring — of water
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. capital — a city
  20. firm — decided
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rush — hurry

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