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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: fan · nail · can · capital · wind · ball · pop · chest

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chest — of your body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — money
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chest — a box
  14. pop — music
  15. capital — a city
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pop — soda
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — a tin

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