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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: ground · object · capital · stem · bass · land · tube · firm

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. tube — a container
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — to come down
  6. tube — the underground
  7. land — ground
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — a country
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. firm — decided
  14. object — an aim
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ground — the earth
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. capital — money
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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