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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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468
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: bore · calf · bass · club · rock · capital · leaves · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. bass — low music
  7. bat — the animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. capital — money
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. club — for dancing
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rock — music

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