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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — a cup
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. drill — army training
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — a face
  17. rest — what's left
  18. drill — a practice
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. rest — a break
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mug — to rob

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