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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: object · club · calf · bowl · kick · capital · stem · mine

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. object — a thing
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. club — a group
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. object — to protest
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. club — for dancing
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mine — for digging
  19. object — an aim
  20. capital — money
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  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