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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: saw · spring · capital · court · calf · branch

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — money
  4. court — of a king
  5. saw — the tool
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. branch — a division
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. court — for sport
  18. saw — past of 'see'

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