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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. capital — money
  3. rash — hasty
  4. capital — a city
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — for catching
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. net — in sport
  11. rash — a series
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bank — for money
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. net — after costs
  22. bank — for money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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