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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. firm — decided
  5. capital — money
  6. spell — magic
  7. capital — a city
  8. row — a line
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. spell — a short time
  12. firm — steady
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. face — to point toward
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spell — letters
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. firm — a company
  22. row — to paddle
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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