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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: calf · nail · cabinet · mark · lean · capital · land · rush

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. land — a country
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — money
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — ground
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — thin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. rush — to hurry

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