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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mate — a partner
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. roll — a cake
  9. capital — money
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. board — to get on
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mate — to breed
  19. craft — a skill
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. craft — boats
  22. board — a committee
  23. capital — a city
  24. date — on the calendar

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