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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: staff · stem · pit · pound · perch · capital

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pound — a weight
  5. staff — employees
  6. pit — in a race
  7. capital — a city
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. capital — money
  11. stem — to come from
  12. staff — a stick
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. staff — employees
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stem — of a plant

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