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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. net — for catching
  4. mate — to breed
  5. band — a ring
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. key — in music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — after costs
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mate — a friend
  14. band — a music group
  15. stem — to come from
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bear — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mate — a partner
  24. net — in sport

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