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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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 — a stem cell
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mark — a trace
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pass — a permit
  13. capital — a city
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — shares
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stock — goods
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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