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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 · calf · leaves · branch · coach · bear · wax · suit

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bear — the animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. suit — in cards
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. suit — clothes
  17. branch — a division
  18. capital — a city
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bear — the animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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