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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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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: kick · capital · stem · toast · track · wave · calf · file

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stem — to come from
  4. kick — in football
  5. file — a document
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. track — a song
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — to keep track
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. toast — bread
  23. file — a tool
  24. toast — the most admired

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