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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stem — to come from
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. capital — money
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a song
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hand — help
  23. deal — to handle
  24. saw — the tool

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