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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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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 · capital · straw · wake · court · branch · mug · stock

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. court — of a king
  3. stock — shares
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. branch — a division
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. court — for sport
  10. capital — money
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mug — a face
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stock — goods
  16. capital — a city
  17. mug — a cup
  18. court — of law
  19. wake — a trail
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mug — to rob
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. branch — of a tree

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