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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: wound · hide · stick · capital · net · wake · lie · calf

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — for catching
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. net — after costs
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. net — in sport
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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