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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. swing — to play on
  4. court — of a king
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. court — for sport
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a city
  9. court — of law
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stem — to come from
  24. march — music

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