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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — all right
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fork — in a road
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fine — a penalty

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