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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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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: capital · stem · bore · firm · fall · kick

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kick — in football
  5. firm — a company
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fall — the season
  11. bore — to tire
  12. firm — decided
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. capital — a city
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — steady

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