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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: leaves · firm · spell · kid · mark · stem · capital · toast

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. firm — decided
  4. toast — bread
  5. spell — letters
  6. capital — a city
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mark — a grade
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mark — a trace
  13. capital — money
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. kid — child
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. toast — the most admired

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