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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · fine · calf · hide · bound · capital · mark · kid

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. capital — a city
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bound — obliged
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fine — all right
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kid — child
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. capital — money
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bark — to shout
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mark — a grade

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