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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 120 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: last · stem · chest · row · suit · staff · capital · mate

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. suit — clothes
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. capital — money
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — to go on
  9. capital — a city
  10. staff — employees
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mate — a friend
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — finally
  15. row — a line
  16. chest — a box
  17. mate — to breed
  18. staff — employees
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mate — a partner
  21. row — to paddle
  22. last — final
  23. suit — in cards
  24. capital — a big letter

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