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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: fine · field · capital · pitcher · bound · stem · rule · calf

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. capital — money
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rule — government
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bound — certain
  19. field — for sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rule — a law
  23. fine — high quality
  24. capital — a city

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