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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 116 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: degree · stem · capital · net · chair · lash · fall · mate

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. capital — money
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. net — for catching
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — after costs
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. capital — a city
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fall — to drop
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — in sport
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. degree — temperature

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