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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: tube · bat · wake · capital · march · lie · root · stem

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. tube — a container
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. root — of a plant
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. march — music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. root — of a word
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — a city
  20. root — the cause
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — the month
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lie — an untruth

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