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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: calf · temple · capital · firm · branch · spring · bay · content

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. firm — decided
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spring — a coil
  5. capital — a city
  6. spring — the season
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. content — the amount
  13. firm — a company
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. spring — of water
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. firm — steady
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. content — happy
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. branch — a division

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