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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
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: mate · shower · calf · mine · capital · key · stand · wake

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stand — to bear
  6. shower — to wash
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mine — for digging
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. capital — money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. capital — a city
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. key — for a lock
  24. shower — rain

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