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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pop — to visit
  3. suit — to fit
  4. court — for sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pop — music
  7. suit — in cards
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — of law
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a great time
  15. branch — a division
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — a city
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — of a king
  24. stem — a stem cell

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