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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tube — the underground
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tube — a container
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. root — of a word
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stem — to come from
  9. capital — money
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — in sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — a city
  23. season — of the year
  24. stand — to bear

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