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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: snap · rest · calf · capital · lean · file · track · tube

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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. capital — a big letter
  4. lean — to bend
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. track — a song
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. file — a document
  10. lean — thin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — a path
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a tool
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. capital — a city
  17. rest — a break
  18. file — a line of people
  19. snap — to click
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — money
  24. tube — a container

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