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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: club · cap · mug · leaves · stem · bat · mark · rule

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mug — to rob
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rule — a law
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cap — a lid
  17. club — a group
  18. rule — government
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. club — for golf
  23. mug — a face
  24. cap — of ice

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