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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.

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: capital · tube · nail · racket · wax · hide · mine · stock

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stock — shares
  9. tube — a container
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — for digging
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. capital — money
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stock — goods
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. racket — for tennis

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