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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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468
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: field · bound · capital · stand · bass · rest · stem · wave

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. capital — a city
  3. field — a subject
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rest — a break
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bass — the fish
  10. field — for sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. capital — money
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. field — farmland
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bass — low music
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rest — what's left

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