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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: calf · race · spring · bulb · hide · pitch · capital · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. capital — money
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — a city
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — a country
  9. race — the arms race
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spring — of water
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. race — humankind
  19. spring — the season
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. race — a contest
  23. land — to come down
  24. spring — a coil

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