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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: calf · pound · prune · land · press · capital · can · track

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. prune — to trim
  5. can — a tin
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. press — newspapers
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. track — a path
  12. capital — a city
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. track — a song
  18. land — ground
  19. press — to push
  20. can — to be able to
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. press — a publisher
  24. capital — money

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