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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 116 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: chair · capital · bulb · spell · ground · firm · stem · bat

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. firm — decided
  3. spell — letters
  4. firm — a company
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. capital — money
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spell — magic
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. capital — a city
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. firm — steady
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. ground — a position
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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