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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — for golf
  5. capital — a city
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. club — for dancing
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stem — to come from
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. net — in sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. board — to get on
  20. club — a group
  21. bore — to tire
  22. capital — money
  23. board — a committee
  24. bore — to drill

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