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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: stem · race · ground · board · capital · pound · temple · cabinet

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — the earth
  12. board — a committee
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ground — a position
  15. race — the arms race
  16. board — to get on
  17. capital — a city
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. race — a contest
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. capital — money
  23. race — humankind
  24. temple — a place of worship

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