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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: patient · bulb · degree · calf · bass · cell · sharp · capital

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cell — in biology
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bulb — for light
  11. capital — a city
  12. degree — temperature
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bass — low music
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cell — a phone
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. degree — an amount

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