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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 120 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: mate · capital · prune · calf · spring · kick · key · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rest — what's left
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — money
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spring — of water
  8. key — for a lock
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. key — in music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mate — to breed
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — a friend
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — in football
  20. key — the most important part
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. prune — to trim

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