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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: arm · capital · stem · bat · board · calf · cold · mouse

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. board — a committee
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cold — an illness
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. capital — a city
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — money
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. board — to get on
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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