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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · bore · capital · deal · game · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. capital — money
  3. bore — to tire
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. capital — a city
  18. deal — to handle

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