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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. capital — a city
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pass — a permit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — money
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. march — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — a container
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — the underground

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