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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: capital · leaves · mug · track · fork · stem · season · tube

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mug — a face
  5. track — a song
  6. fork — in a road
  7. tube — a container
  8. mug — to rob
  9. capital — money
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. season — in sport
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mug — a cup
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. capital — a city
  22. tube — the underground
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stem — to come from

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