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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — for catching
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. capital — a city
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. track — a song
  12. board — to get on
  13. net — in sport
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. track — a path
  17. bound — tied together
  18. net — after costs
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stem — to come from
  21. board — a committee
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bound — certain

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