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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: capital · bear · game · cell · rush · wound · lean · calf

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cell — a phone
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lean — to bend
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. lean — thin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rush — hurry
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. capital — a city
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — a match
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cell — in biology
  23. capital — money
  24. rush — to hurry

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