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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.

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 · capital · stem · bark · rock · bass · file · calf

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. capital — a city
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stem — to come from
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bass — the fish
  13. file — a line of people
  14. capital — money
  15. bass — low music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. file — a tool
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bark — to shout

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