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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: capital · club · wound · scale · nail · net · rush · spring

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. net — in sport
  3. capital — money
  4. scale — in music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spring — of water
  14. club — for golf
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. net — for catching
  19. capital — a city
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — hurry
  23. club — a group
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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