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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: present · capital · board · spring · hide · rock · calf · net

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. board — a committee
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rock — a stone
  11. present — there
  12. net — for catching
  13. rock — music
  14. spring — the season
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. net — after costs
  17. present — a gift
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. net — in sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. present — the time now
  23. capital — money
  24. calf — of the leg

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