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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: lean · craft · calf · bound · fall · rule · race · capital

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rule — government
  3. capital — money
  4. bound — obliged
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — humankind
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. race — a contest
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bound — certain
  12. fall — the season
  13. craft — a skill
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — to bend
  18. craft — boats
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rule — a law
  21. race — the arms race
  22. capital — a city
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — to drop

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