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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. capital — a city
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — the month
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stem — to come from
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fan — a supporter

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