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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: row · march · capital · squash · current · spring · calf · band

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. capital — a city
  5. march — the month
  6. current — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. squash — the sport
  9. band — a music group
  10. squash — to crush
  11. row — a line
  12. current — electric
  13. row — to paddle
  14. spring — the season
  15. band — a ring
  16. march — music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. current — happening now
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. spring — of water

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