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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: pop · capital · clip · nail · shower · fine · bank · ball

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — a video
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pop — music
  10. fine — all right
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ball — a great time
  16. capital — money
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — to cut
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — rain
  22. bank — for money
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pop — soda

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