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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.

Words on the sheet
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: capital · pitcher · stem · plane · field · tube · scale · mate

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mate — a partner
  3. field — farmland
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tube — a container
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. capital — money
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. field — for sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. scale — in music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. plane — a tool
  24. scale — size or range

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