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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.

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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: capital · wind · nail · saw · track · clip · charge · scale

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — to keep track
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. charge — in control
  8. scale — in music
  9. track — a path
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. charge — electricity
  13. clip — to cut
  14. capital — a city
  15. wind — moving air
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — a price
  19. clip — a video
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — for paper
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. track — a song

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