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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: capital · trunk · bass · game · pop · foot · bark · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bark — to shout
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pop — music
  11. bass — low music
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bass — the fish
  14. capital — money
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. pop — soda
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. capital — a city
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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