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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bank — of a river
  4. can — a tin
  5. bank — for money
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — a committee
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bank — for money
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — money
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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