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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pop — to visit
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. club — a group
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. club — for golf
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. branch — a division

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