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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: trunk · fan · nail · mouse · squash · calf · capital · scale

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. capital — money
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. squash — to crush
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. capital — a city
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. nail — on a finger

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