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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.

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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: capital · march · bound · bay · tear · field · mark · calf

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. field — a subject
  3. march — the month
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mark — a grade
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — a trace
  12. capital — a city
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — certain
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — music
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. tear — to rip
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. field — for sport

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