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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · spring · capital · wax · pitcher · calf · pit · mouse

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spring — a coil
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lean — to bend
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lean — thin
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spring — of water
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — the season
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pit — in a race
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — money
  24. calf — a young animal

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