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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: stem · march · bulb · capital · fall · fan · track · scale

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. scale — in music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. capital — money
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. march — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. track — a path
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stem — to come from

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