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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: cabinet · foot · nail · bowl · tear · capital · fan · pound

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bowl — a football final

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