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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: nail · land · wind · rule · charge · capital · jam · staff

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. staff — employees
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. charge — in control
  6. land — a country
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. staff — employees
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a city
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rule — government
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. staff — a stick
  19. land — to come down
  20. charge — a price
  21. capital — money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. charge — electricity
  24. rule — a law

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