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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.

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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: wound · capital · calf · bore · current · track · rash · leaves

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — of water
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to drill
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — a path
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. track — a song
  15. current — happening now
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. track — to keep track
  18. current — electric
  19. rash — hasty
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. capital — money
  24. leaves — lets stay

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