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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · calf · pitcher · cap · mine · racket · wax · capital

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. board — to get on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — money
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. capital — a city
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wax — in the ear

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