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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · cap · calf · scale · plane · cold · bass

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cap — a hat
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. scale — in music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. capital — a city
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — low music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cap — a lid
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cold — the Cold War

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