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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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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: season · fall · calf · staff · capital · track

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. track — a path
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fall — the season
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. track — to keep track
  10. capital — a city
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. track — a song
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter

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