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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: patient · stem · calf · capital · staff · temple · ground · pound

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stem — to come from
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — a city
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ground — crushed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — a weight
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. capital — money
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. temple — a place of worship

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