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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bass — the fish
  5. capital — a city
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. capital — money
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cap — a lid
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — low music
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bark — to shout
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cap — of ice

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