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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: land · calf · dip · leaves · bark · mug · cap · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mug — to rob
  3. dip — to sink
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cap — a hat
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. land — a country
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mug — a face
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. capital — a city
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. capital — a big letter

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