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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: pitcher · branch · land · fan · calf · bat · bay · capital

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — a city
  6. land — a country
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — money
  10. land — to come down
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bat — the animal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — ground
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. branch — of a bank

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