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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tube — a container
  9. fall — the season
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — money
  24. stem — to come from

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