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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. can — a tin
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stock — shares
  7. can — a tin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stock — goods
  12. capital — a city
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — the underground
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tube — a container
  23. chest — of your body
  24. capital — money

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