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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ground — a position
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cue — for pool
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — a city
  19. stem — to come from
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. key — in music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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