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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: staff · degree · stem · capital · calf · file · rush · sharp

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. sharp — clever
  9. capital — a city
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. degree — an amount
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. degree — temperature
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a document
  24. stem — a stem cell

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