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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 · march · capital · mate · bowl · chest · wound · bulb

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. capital — money
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. capital — a city
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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