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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. land — to come down
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a city
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. land — ground
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — a country
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. capital — money
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cabinet — ministers

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