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

Word bank: capital · coach · stem · race · rash · rule

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. race — the arms race
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rule — government
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. race — a contest
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. race — humankind
  17. rule — a law
  18. stem — to come from

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