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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: tube · dip · perch · capital · row · snap · stem · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fine — high quality
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. row — to paddle
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — a line
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. tube — the underground
  16. capital — money
  17. stem — to come from
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. capital — a city
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. tube — a container

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