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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.

Words on the sheet
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: pitcher · bass · cabinet · bound · fan · capital · file · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bound — certain
  6. capital — a city
  7. bass — the fish
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. file — a tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. file — a document
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. capital — money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bass — low music
  24. fan — a supporter

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