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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: kick · calf · leaves · cap · capital · field · spring · vault

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. field — a subject
  3. vault — a safe
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. field — farmland
  7. cap — a hat
  8. spring — of water
  9. field — for sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. capital — a city
  13. kick — in football
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — money
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kick — a thrill

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