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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fall — the season
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — to crush
  12. spring — a coil
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ball — a great time
  16. can — a tin
  17. bore — to drill
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — to tire
  20. capital — a city
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fall — to drop

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