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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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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: cabinet · capital · shower · wake · nail · march · mug · calf

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. shower — rain
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mug — a face
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. capital — money
  22. shower — to wash
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — music

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