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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: club · bore · stem · capital · fork · row

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. club — for golf
  4. stem — to come from
  5. club — a group
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fork — in a road
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. capital — money
  15. row — a line
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bore — gave birth

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