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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 · stand · wake · nail · bound · rule · season · saw

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. season — in sport
  10. capital — money
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bound — certain
  14. season — of the year
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. capital — a city
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. saw — the tool
  24. capital — a big letter

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