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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stand — to bear
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. tube — a container
  12. kid — to tease
  13. tube — the underground
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. deal — to handle
  17. capital — a city
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. capital — money
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stem — to come from
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ball — a great time

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