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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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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — money
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mine — an explosive

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