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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.

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: calf · fall · patient · capital · rush · scale · stick · degree

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. scale — in music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fall — to drop
  6. degree — from a university
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. capital — money
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — a city
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fall — the season

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