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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 116 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: calf · capital · content · fan · stand · bank · staff · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — happy
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. staff — a stick
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. capital — money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. staff — employees
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bank — for money
  23. capital — a city
  24. stand — to bear

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