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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: fall · stem · club · capital · rest · march

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. capital — money
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — a group
  8. rest — what's left
  9. capital — a city
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — to drop
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. rest — a break
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — to come from
  18. march — music

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