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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: fork · capital · stem · toast · staff · cue

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stem — to come from
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. toast — bread
  10. cue — a signal
  11. staff — employees
  12. fork — in a road
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. capital — a city
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. capital — money
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. staff — employees

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