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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. capital — a city
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — of water
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. root — of a word
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — the cause
  16. pit — a hole
  17. capital — money
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pit — in a race
  22. root — of a plant
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bowl — a dish

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