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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: mark · kick · wax · row · capital · chip · swing · nail

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. swing — in golf
  17. kick — in football
  18. mark — a trace
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mark — a grade
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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