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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. net — for catching
  4. tube — the underground
  5. capital — money
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wax — to grow
  10. capital — a city
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chair — a leader
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. foot — a measure
  19. stem — to come from
  20. net — after costs
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. net — in sport
  24. foot — the bottom

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