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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: mine · nail · pound · trunk · last · capital · can · rush

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pound — a weight
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. last — to go on
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — finally
  17. rush — hurry
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — a city
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pound — for dogs

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