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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.

Words on the sheet
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: capital · rock · chest · wound · bulb · calf · leaves · band

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. band — a ring
  6. rock — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. band — a music group
  12. chest — a box
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bulb — for light
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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