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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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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: leaves · tube · present · rule · stem · capital

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — money
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. present — a gift
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rule — a law
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. capital — a city
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rule — government
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. leaves — of a tree

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