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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. drill — army training
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — a city
  8. stem — to come from
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pit — a hole
  14. scale — in music
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. leaves — of a tree

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