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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. season — of the year
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mug — a face
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. season — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. capital — money
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. game — wild animals
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. plane — a tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. game — a match

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