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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: last · calf · staff · stem · club · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. staff — a stick
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. stem — to come from
  6. last — finally
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. staff — employees
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. last — final
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — a city
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stem — a stem cell

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