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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.

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: vault · saw · calf · wake · capital · hand · racket · wound

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. capital — a city
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — before a funeral

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