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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 116 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 · ground · scale · vault · leaves · capital · season · rush

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. season — in sport
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. season — of the year
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. ground — the earth
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. capital — money
  17. scale — in music
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rush — hurry
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. capital — a city
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. calf — a young animal

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