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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: cap · plane · capital · bark · racket · race · spring · calf

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. spring — the season
  3. race — a contest
  4. capital — a city
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. capital — money
  10. race — humankind
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cap — a hat
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cap — of ice
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. race — the arms race
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cap — a lid
  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