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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: fall · nail · fork · bulb · racket · lie · capital · press

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. lie — to recline
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. press — newspapers
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. press — to push
  17. fall — the season
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fork — in a road
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lie — an untruth

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