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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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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: stand · calf · fork · degree · capital · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — a city
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. capital — money
  18. stand — for spectators

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