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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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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: bulb · pit · capital · fork · stem · fine · rule · press

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — a law
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fine — high quality
  7. press — to push
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. press — newspapers
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rule — government
  13. capital — money
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — all right
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stem — to come from
  24. capital — a city

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