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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 120 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: degree · suit · capital · hand · lean · nail · lie · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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 big letter
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lean — thin
  6. suit — to fit
  7. capital — money
  8. lean — to bend
  9. capital — a city
  10. degree — from a university
  11. suit — in cards
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. suit — clothes
  17. hand — help
  18. degree — temperature
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hand — part of the body

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