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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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468
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 · club · fine · pass · clip · capital · squash · calf

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. clip — a video
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. fine — all right
  11. pass — a permit
  12. squash — to crush
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. club — a group
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. clip — for paper
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. club — for golf

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