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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 120 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: firm · fan · nail · track · hand · tear · bulb · capital

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — a song
  5. tear — from crying
  6. capital — a city
  7. firm — steady
  8. bulb — for light
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. track — a path
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — in cards
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. capital — money
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — help

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