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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: stem · capital · wave · present · suit · squash · cue · pitcher

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. present — the time now
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. present — there
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. squash — the sport
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cue — a signal
  18. suit — clothes
  19. capital — money
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. squash — to crush
  22. capital — a city
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. present — a gift

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