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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: temple · calf · court · row · stem · rash · pitcher · capital

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — a city
  7. court — of a king
  8. row — to paddle
  9. court — for sport
  10. rash — hasty
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. row — a line
  15. capital — money
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rash — a series
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. court — of law

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