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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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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bank — for money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. key — the most important part
  9. season — in sport
  10. key — in music
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mine — for digging
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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