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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bank — of a river
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. capital — a city
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — to come from
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bank — for money
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — money
  24. date — on the calendar

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