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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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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: capital · tear · mate · pitcher · calf · bear · stem · nail

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. capital — a city
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tear — from crying
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. tear — to rip
  10. capital — money
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mate — a partner
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bear — the animal

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