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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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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: pound · present · capital · nail · current · bear · cell · fan

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. current — of water
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bear — the animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. cell — a phone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. current — electric
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. current — happening now
  21. cell — in biology
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  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