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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: staff · stick · leaves · scale · capital · dip · cabinet · field

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. staff — employees
  5. field — a subject
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. capital — a city
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. field — farmland
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. capital — money
  19. field — for sport
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. staff — employees

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