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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: fork · dip · snap · capital · straw · fan · calf · hand

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. capital — a city
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hand — help
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fork — in a road
  19. dip — to sink
  20. snap — to click
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fork — to eat with

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