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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · bass · can · file · fan · mine · capital · drill

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. file — a document
  6. drill — army training
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. can — a tin
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. capital — a city
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bass — low music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. capital — money

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