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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: rush · rule · calf · capital · perch · land · branch · staff

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. capital — a city
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rush — hurry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. land — ground
  8. staff — employees
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — a division
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. capital — money
  18. rule — government
  19. staff — a stick
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rule — a law
  24. land — a country

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