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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. capital — a city
  7. cue — a signal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stand — to bear
  14. land — to come down
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. land — ground
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — a country
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — money

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