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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.

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: press · cabinet · bat · stem · capital · ball · safe · clip

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bat — the animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. ball — a dance
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — to push
  17. ball — a great time
  18. capital — a city
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. capital — money
  23. clip — a video
  24. safe — out of danger

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