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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. capital — a city
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. craft — boats
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stand — to bear
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. field — farmland
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. capital — money
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stand — on your feet

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