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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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 city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cue — for pool
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pop — soda
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cue — a signal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pop — music
  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