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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. file — a document
  4. capital — money
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. race — humankind
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitch — completely
  9. net — in sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. craft — boats
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. capital — a city
  15. craft — a skill
  16. club — for dancing
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  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