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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: bat · capital · foot · stem · object · cabinet

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. object — a thing
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — an aim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. object — to protest
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bat — for baseball

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