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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 116 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: leaves · nail · capital · march · degree · mine · lean · charge

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lean — to bend
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. charge — in control
  10. capital — a city
  11. march — music
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. degree — an amount
  14. capital — money
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. charge — a price
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. lean — thin
  24. march — the month

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