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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: charge · field · bound · squash · capital · mine · nail · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. field — for sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bound — tied together
  11. field — a subject
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. charge — a price
  20. squash — to crush
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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