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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. date — the fruit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. land — a country
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. capital — money
  13. ball — a great time
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stand — to bear
  17. capital — a city
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — ground
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stand — for spectators

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