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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: spring · foot · wake · object · deal · calf · capital · game

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. deal — to handle
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — a match
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. object — to protest
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. capital — money
  15. spring — a coil
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. object — an aim
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. spring — the season
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. foot — a measure
  24. object — a thing

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